Yu Yu Classroom: Spirit Detective of Assassination!
by Animercom
Summary: After failing to defeat Yomi, Yusuke has been sulking over his lack of satisfaction for months now. But when Botan confronts him with the challenge of defeating the ultimate villain, that's about to change. Get ready for Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama to battle Koro-Sensei with their unique brand of fighting in the action packed Yu Yu Classroom! Rated T for language and suggestive humor.
1. Episode 1: Homecoming

Author's note: This is a story written not by me, Animercom, but my brother. Though it is written by him, I have his permission to post his story under my account because he does not have an account of his own. Henceforth, all interactions with the readers involving this story, including PM's, will be written by him and not me (Animercom). This story takes place after the events in the Yu Yu Hakusho anime (manga works too but the differences aren't mentioned) and after the middle of volume four of assassination classroom, right after Koro-Sensei went on his trip to the movies with Karma. In other words, just before he meets the second transfer student.

* * *

Yu Yu Classroom: The Spirit Detective of Assassination!

Episode One: Homecoming

A sigh escaping his lips, Yusuke squinted up at the sun. It was time to come to terms with a fact he'd been avoiding for several months now.

His life sucked.

Really sucked.

Sure, he was alive despite his fierce battle with Yomi, one of the three former Kings of the Demon Realm, but Yusuke was bored out of his mind without anyone to fight in the Human Realm. He couldn't even bring himself to brawl with his fellow students as it just didn't give him the feeling of excitement that his other battles with demons always had. Even the "favors" Koenma had come to Yusuke with were dull and far below his level. Recently the most entertaining thing in his life was when Yusuke discovered he could channel his Yoki into a spirit-like body while sleeping. Feeling a bit mischievous, he had sent it up to the Spirit Realm and terrorized its citizens by pretending his demonkin blood had driven him mad with hunger for their souls. Yusuke couldn't help but smirk as he recalled Koenma cowering behind his desk, begging for his life. But if he pulled that stunt again, he'd probably be banished to the Demon Realm. After all, Koenma could never take a joke.

"Hey, it's not like you to look like you're thinking deeply about stuff," his friend Kuwabara remarked. He was walking next to Yusuke on the way to school, just like they usually did. For once, he was so quiet Yusuke forgot he was even there.

"I don't need to hear that from _you_ ," Yusuke retorted without turning to his friend. Kuwabara merely grunted in response. Knowing he wouldn't get away with such a simple answer, Yusuke explained, "It's just too quiet around here."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kuwabara's voice raised several octaves higher than any normal man's as he added, "The locusts are making such a racket that they wake me up in the morning more than my own alarm clock!"

Yusuke yelled, "Not that, dumbass!" In a huff, Yusuke turned to face Kuwabara. "Despite the barrier blocking the Demon and Human Realms being lifted, none of the demons are causing trouble. No fights have broken out, no worthy opponents have risen up…" Yusuke clenched his fists. "I still haven't found my satisfaction…"

Yusuke had been talking about "satisfaction" for a long time now. It started when his climatic fight with Sensui was interrupted by his ancestor, a demon. Claiming that he couldn't watch as Yusuke struggled against Sensui, the demon had possessed Yusuke and finished the fight in his stead. Yusuke swore he'd find his ancestor and pound him until he got back the satisfaction he was so wrongly denied. But instead he got thrown into the Demon Realm's politics and history. It was a world his simple-mindedness couldn't quite follow. Eventually, Yusuke decided he'd put a rest to the Demon Realm's problems by hosting a tournament, but he couldn't even win the tournament that he himself came up with! At first, he'd been satisfied to just say "I'll win next time!" but Yusuke wasn't a patient man. He would have to wait two and a half years before another tournament would be held in the Demon Realm.

Kuwabara frowned. "Your satisfaction, eh…?"

Yusuke walked on without checking to see if Kuwabara was following him. "Don't tell Keiko this, but I've been thinking about training in the Demon Realm for a while to blow off some steam."

Kuwabara shook his head. Only Yusuke would think of training in the Demon Realm as a means of relieving stress. "And just when did you think you were skipping out on us this time?"

"Who knows? Could be an hour, could be a month."

"I see…"

Yusuke glanced over at Kuwabara. He seemed a little sad, but unsurprised by Yusuke's announcement. It made sense. Kuwabara hadn't seen much of Yusuke since his misadventures in the Demon Realm. Come to think of it, neither had Keiko. Or that old hag. Or his mom, or…

Maybe he shouldn't abandon them all by going to the Demon Realm again. But if things didn't start getting interesting soon, Yusuke thought he'd snap…

"Everyone, terrible news!"

Startled, Yusuke looked up at the source of the voice. A figure was flying towards them with an incredible speed as though adrenaline were pushing it forward. Kuwabara gasped. "T-That's…"

"What are you doing here, Botan?"

Botan landed in front of Yusuke and Kuwabara. She was dressed in a school girl's outfit, so if any passerby happened to glance at the trio, they'd look like an ordinary group of friends on their way to school. But Yusuke knew better. Botan was the Grim-Reaper. In sharp contrast to her profession, she was normally a rather lively and happy person (which to Yusuke meant "loud and annoying"), so for her to show up so flustered couldn't have meant anything good.

Botan put her hands on her knees and tried in vain to catch her breath. "Koenma-sama… Koenma-sama has a new assignment for you."

Yusuke regarded her calmly as Kuwabara said with excitement, "Hey, Urameshi! This could be what you were waiting for, yeah? A new demon to fight, and an entire Realm to save, perhaps? Maybe all three Realms? We could get the guys together just like old times and-"

Yusuke ignored Kuwabara and walked passed Botan. He said nonchalantly, "Koenma's the one who fired ME, remember? I don't have to take on any assignments from him anymore, and that includes favors." When the Spirit Realm had discovered that Yusuke was related to a Demon, they stripped him of his title Spirit Detective, a title Yusuke had become somewhat attached to. It miffed him more than he'd like to admit when it was revoked so suddenly because of circumstances that were beyond his control.

Botan cried, "But all of the favors we asked you for were critical for the wellbeing of the Realms!"

Yusuke yelled, "Bullshit! The last one had me searching for the Demon who had ran away with Koenma's Sacred Boxer-shorts. Kuwabara, we're leaving. If she hears we were late again, Keiko will eat us alive."

Botan stepped in front of Yusuke with a seriousness that surprised him. She glared up at him as she said ominously, "What if I told you this new assignment involved defeating a foe unlike anything you'd ever seen before? And that if you failed… the entire Human Realm will be put at risk."

Yusuke stared down at Botan. "What do you mean?"

Botan let out a sigh of relief. "It's a long story. Do you have time?"

Yusuke half turned to Kuwabara. "Hey, what time is it?"

Glancing down at his watch, Kuwabara stated, "7:12"

Yusuke threw his suitcase behind him, excitement starting to build. "Then we're skipping school today. We'd never make it in time anyway."

"H-Hey, I thought you said Keiko-"

Startling Botan, Yusuke called, "Hey, Botan! Let's hear this assignment." He added with a glint in his eyes and a smirk that only a demonkin could muster, "Things are starting to get interesting."

* * *

The trio had decided to hear the full scoop at a local fast food joint. Kuwabara sat next to Yusuke in their booth seats, and Botan sat across from them. Only Yusuke had the appetite to order anything, so he bought a shake.

Slurping on the shake loudly completely unaware or just plain ignoring the annoyed glances of other customers, Yusuke said, "So, tell us. What's so threatening that the entire Human Realm would be in danger?"

Botan leaned back in her seat. "Where to start… Have you seen the news reports about the destruction of the moon?"

Who hadn't seen them? Half of the moon was obliterated out of nowhere one day, causing mass panic all across the world. Yusuke heard a rumor from his friend Kurama that the Spirit Realm launched a huge manhunt for the perpetrator, but since they couldn't pick up any Yoki or Reiki from the moon's remains, they gave up quickly. Apparently, they said it was a human affair and that demons weren't involved at all, so it wasn't their business. As if humans had the power or the inclination to destroy their own, but Koenma was Koenma.

"What about it?" Yusuke asked. "That was well over two months ago."

Nervous, Kuwabara squirmed in his seat. "Don't tell me they found the guy who did it?"

Botan nodded. "Yes. A week ago, the Spirit Realm discovered the culprit, and he was nothing anyone could have possibly imagined." Yusuke and Kuwabara found themselves leaning forward subconsciously. Anyone who could destroy half the moon in the bat of an eye and then hide themselves from the world for months had to be a hell of a fighter. Botan continued, "…It was…"

"It was…?"

"…An octopus."

Kuwabara burst out laughing and Yusuke stared at Botan, dumbfounded. "Ehhh?! Is this some kind of a joke? It sounds like the sort of crap from a shoddy Shonen manga!"

Botan threw up her hands. "Believe me, I was shocked too. But it's true. Koenma-sama hadn't been satisfied with Yama the Great's recall on the manhunt, so he's been sending out search teams every once in a while to look into anything that might be a clue. When he heard stories of a tentacle monster attacking a famous American baseball player and watching movies in movie theaters, he sent a team and-"

Kuwabara interrupted her. "Whoa, back up. You're not joking? It was seriously an octopus? Like, those pink things with tentacles that can shock your brains out?"

Yusuke glanced over at Kuwabara dubiously. "Aren't those jelly-fish…?"

Ignoring Kuwabara's inability to follow intelligent conversations, Botan continued, "…So after investigating the reports, he found out they all point to the same place: Kunugigaoka Junior High, Class 3-E."

Yusuke laughed. "Let me get this straight. You're telling me some students fed their class pet some mutated fish food and now it's rampaging across the world and destroying the moon?!" Yusuke doubled-over. "That's about as believable as the time you said you'd give me tickets to that sports championship!"

Botan puffed out her cheeks. "This is a grave matter! If you won't take it seriously, the Spirit Realm will find someone else to handle it!"

Wiping tears from his eyes, Yusuke apologized. "Sorry, sorry…" _At least she tells entertaining stories, even if it's probably just a prank for threatening to eat the Spirit Realm's_ _inhabitants…_ Yusuke said aloud, "Go on."

Her tone noticeably more irritated, Botan huffed, "…Their teacher is a demon with incredible powers, including an ability to move at mach-20. He plans to destroy the world within ten months, exactly a year after he destroyed the moon, if no one can kill him before hand. In order to raise the world's chances of killing him, he decided to teach Kunugigaoka Junior High's Class 3-E students to be assassins. But even after spending two months with him, not a single one of them has come close to seriously injuring, let alone killing, him."

Kuwabara stared at the sugar packets on the table like they housed a tentacle that was about to wrap itself around his neck and strangle him. "This is… a lot to take in."

Deciding to humor Botan by taking this seriously, Yusuke scratched his chin and asked, "And? What in the world is the government doing?"

Botan shook her head. "I wouldn't count on them if I were you. So far they'd sent in some assassins of their own, but they're powerless."

Yusuke couldn't help but smirk. "So, in short, both the Spirit Realm and all of Japan can't do anything?" Yusuke rubbed the bottom of his nose. "All governments seem to crumble whenever anything truly important happens." Botan didn't respond to that.

Yusuke didn't intend to be rude by making that statement, he was simply ascertaining Botan's authenticity. If her entire story was a joke, then Botan wouldn't have hesitated to defend the capabilities of the Spirit Realm, thus contradicting her earlier statement about their incompetence and exposing her lie. But since she didn't even try to argue, that had to mean that, as insane as it sounds, an octopus demon with astounding powers really was trying to destroy the world.

Kuwabara either picked up on this too, or he grew tired of being doubtful of the story. "But what are we supposed to do about all this?" He crossed his arms and lowered his head, thinking. "I mean, sure, we've battled a lotta demons, but this guy sounds like he's on a whole other level."

Yusuke looked up at the ceiling of the joint. As he watched the fan overhead spin slowly and methodically, he said, "Yeah… if he were judged on the Spirit Realm's scale, he'd probably be ranked above S. Maybe he'd be ranked, like, T or something."

Kuwabara snorted. "Because T comes after S? You aren't very original."

Regardless of if the T ranking was a joke, Yusuke was serious about the perpetrator's power. If what Botan said was accurate, he had a speed of mach-20 and enough firepower to blow up the moon… And enough cunning to be able to hide his existence from even the Spirit Realm for so long. He may have been even more powerful than Yomi.

Defeating someone like that… would bring an unparalleled amount of satisfaction to Yusuke.

After rummaging through his pockets, Yusuke slammed down the money for his drink on the table. He stood up and grabbed his coat. "All right, I'll look into it."

Botan all but jumped out of her seat. "Thank you! Koenma-sama will be-"

Yusuke thrust his index finger in Botan's face. "But. Let's have ourselves a wager."

Botan's face clouded with uncertainty. "A… wager?"

Staring into Botan's expecting eyes, Yusuke slurped down the rest of his drink slowly and deliberately to build up hype. Once he was finished, he tossed it to Kuwabara, who stumbled to catch it. "Yeah. A wager." Yusuke stretched and cracked his bones as he explained, "To be honest, if I found out about this guy on my own, I'd have been all over the idea of hunting him down. But when someone orders me to do something, and presents it in a way that leaves me with no other choice, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. A part of me doesn't want to do it."

Standing up and gesturing his hands like mad, Kuwabara yelled, "But this concerns all of the Human Realm! Don't tell me you're so petty you'd refuse and let the world get destroyed!"

Yusuke shook his head at Kuwabara. "No, I'll take on the assignment all right. I just want to make this even more fun!" Turning to Botan, Yusuke declared, "Bring Hiei and Kurama here. The three of us will try to kill this guy within a week. After all, if even trained assassins can't kill him in two months, then I don't want to waste any more time than a week trying to kill what may be an invincible opponent."

Her brow furrowing, Botan's asked, "And if that week passes and you fail…?"

Yusuke made a finger gun with his hand and pointed at Botan. "Then I'll determine that he's impossible to kill, and I'll tell him he can destroy the world immediately."

Silence.

As Yusuke walked out the door of the joint and onto the sidewalk, Botan and Kuwabara all but lost their minds. They ran after him and tried to yell over each other, both vying to be heard.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! Even for you, allowing some demon to destroy the world-!"

"And where do you get off making demands of the Spirit Realm?! You're lucky you're even allowed in the Human Realm after we learned about you being demonkin!"

"And who do you think you are, throwing your drink at me like I'm some sort of slave? Kuwabara the man is not-"

"Who even said that you're a good enough judge of a demon to determine if he's kill-able or not?"

Yusuke stopped walking. Without turning around, Yusuke asked, "Hey. This guy who blew up the moon… What's his name?"

Botan stopped yelling, surprised by the sudden question. "It's… Koro-Sensei."

"'Cannot Kill Teacher', huh?" Yusuke looked up at the clouds. "…We'll see."

* * *

Koro-Sensei turned to his class with a bright refreshing smile that contradicted his plans to destroy the world. "Greetings class! Today I have a special announcement for you." The students looked at each other and murmured their excitement, wonder, and, hopefully, love of their amazing teacher. After letting his announcement sink in, Koro-Sensei proclaimed, "Tomorrow, there will be three new students joining our class!"

Almost immediately, Karma shot up his hand and asked without being called, "Is this another one of those pain in the ass students like Ritsu was?" Some students looked down at their desk, embarrassed by his outburst, while others nodded in appreciation.

Taking advantage of his promise to not harm the students, the government created Ritsu to join Class E. She was a machine designed for the purpose of killing Koro-Sensei, but she had disrupted class with her never ending assassination attempts, annoying not only the students, but also even Koro-Sensei himself. He re-programmed her to have a heart, and now, she was just like the other students: an ordinary elementary schooler assassin. The students must have feared that Koro-Sensei wouldn't be able to simply rewire these new students to be cooperative like he had Ritsu.

"Now, now," Koro-Sensei said. "I think you and our new students have quite a lot in common with you, Karma."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it."

Koro-Sensei gestured with his tentacles. "The new students are Urameshi Yusuke, Hiei, and Yoko Kurama. And what makes them special…" Koro-Sensei leaned forward and smiled an evil smile as green stripes enveloped his yellow face. "…is that all three are assassins sent to kill me by the head of the afterlife himself."

The class exploded into an uproar, and Koro-Sensei was enjoying every bit of it. He loved it when his students got excited.

Nagisa stuttered, "B-But what kind of people would assassins like that be? Are they even human?"

Koro-Sensei tilted his head, like the answer should have been obvious. "No. Only two of them are demons." That only put the class in even more of an uproar.

Tapping the blackboard with a piece of chalk, Koro-Sensei somehow managed to silence the classroom. "Now these three are all veteran fighters who have been in more fights than I have avoided assassination attempts." His eyes tilting into a slant, he added, "I expect them to be greeted as such."

Nagisa gasped. "You mean… You want us to…"

His face lighting up with a red circle, Koro-Sensei said, "Correct… let us show our new classmates the marvel that is our assassination classroom. Nurururuufufufu…"

* * *

Hey all, I first came up with this crossover after hearing from my sister that FF only had one crossover between Assassination Classroom and Yu Yu Hakusho. This was simply unacceptable, so I decided to write one of my own. Writing fanfiction is not something I plan on doing again, but overall it was a fun experience. The story is complete, and I'll post chapters once a week on Wednesdays. The story is ten chapters long, most chapters being a little longer than this one.

This isn't a story that focuses on a happy romp between the cast of the two series. I wrote it as though it were an Assassination Classroom arc where three newbie transfer students each took their stabs at trying to assassinate Koro-Sensei, each with their different plans and ideas. So unfortunately, you won't be seeing a lot of class time or side characters like Karasuma or Irina. Even Koenma only makes one appearance. If you came here to find a story focusing on character interaction besides just Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Koro-Sensei, then you'll probably be disappointed and shouldn't waste your time. If you came here to see how Yusuke and Co. would try to kill Koro-Sensei if confronted with the challenge, then you've come to the right place.

I've tried to do my best to uphold what's canon in both series and keep the characters in character, but if you notice an inconsistency, even something as small as, "Hey, Karasuma doesn't call this guy _, he calls him _," then please point it out and I will correct it for future chapters (within reason). Thanks in advance.

Hope you stick with me to the end, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.


	2. Episode 2: The Strongest of Them All

Episode Two: The Strongest of Them All

"You want me to WHAAAAAAT?!"

Kuwabara reacted exactly how Yusuke had expected him to. To him, it must have seemed like Yusuke was making an impossible request.

Putting on his best smile, Yusuke repeated, "Aw, come on, please? Is it really that hard? Just for a week?"

Kuwabara shook his head like crazy. "No, no way, man! I'm coming with you. After hearing everything, you can't expect me, the fighter of love and justice, to just sit by and watch!"

Giving up, Yusuke turned to Kurama and Hiei. "Hey, can you talk some sense into him? You agree with me, right?"

A week had passed since Botan dropped the bomb about Koro-Sensei. As per Yusuke's request, she informed Kurama and Hiei and asked them to meet up with Yusuke. Hiei had arrived today from the Demon Realm, prepared to head out to kill Koro-Sensei right away. The group decided to reach Kunugigaoka Junior High by train, a trip that would last two hours.

Leaving to kill Koro-Sensei immediately sounded great in theory, but in practice, if Yusuke's own bet didn't get himself killed, Keiko would surely kill him for skipping out on both school and leaving her. Lately, she had been unbelievably clingy. Almost as though she was afraid he was going to pop up one day and say, "Yo! I'm demonkin, and I'm headin' out to the Demon Realm for kicks tomorrow. See ya in three years! By the way, I love you so much." Pft, as if he'd do _that._ In Keiko's mind, Yusuke was no longer a Spirit Detective, so he didn't need to go running off at the drop of a hat whenever Koenma asked him to. That meant that they could spend as much time together as they wanted. But if he had to tell her that he accepted a new assignment after everything that's happened… Yusuke didn't even want to think about it.

So when Yusuke had the brilliant idea of Kurama giving Kuwabara a seed to turn Kuwabara into a body double of Yusuke to fool Keiko and his teachers, there was no way he _couldn't_ execute the plan. Unfortunately, despite Yusuke's insistence, Kuwabara had followed them all the way to the train station. If they didn't lose him soon, Kuwabara would board the train with them, and Yusuke's master strategy would crumble before his eyes.

"It would be painless," Kurama offered.

Kuwabara took a step back. "Oh no you don't! I'm not taking in one of your seeds and having weird things done to my body! I've seen what seeds like yours have done to people. What happens if you mix it up with some 'instant death to eater' seeds and I die?!"

Hiei nonchalantly commented, "Don't worry, no one would blame Kurama if he did."

"You little-"

Yusuke looked up at the train station's clock. Five minutes until the train arrived. They needed to lose Kuwabara before then. "Hey," Yusuke interjected. "Look at it this way. If you weren't powerful enough to come to the Demon Realm with me, you won't be powerful enough to be of use now."

Kuwabara visibly flinched. Yusuke had hit a sore topic, and while it pained Yusuke to do so, it was a necessity. "You saying I'd just get in your way?" Kuwabara asked, hurt.

In all honesty, Yusuke wanted to see how much more powerful Kuwabara had become since their time apart, but he couldn't admit that aloud. If he did, there was no way Kuwabara would agree to his plan. Instead, Yusuke taunted, "Yeah, I bet you couldn't even knock me to the ground if you tried right now."

Kuwabara squinted his eyes. "And if I do, will you take me with you?"

Grinning, Yusuke lifted his head slightly, as though he were looking down at an unsightly ant. "What's the point in answering? You won't win anyway."

Letting out a yell that could shatter glass, Kuwabara charged at Yusuke with the force of a rampaging rhino. Kuwabara reeled his fist back for a punch, and Yusuke calmly watched as he approached.

 _He isn't even trying to conceal what he's going to do. And here I thought he'd at least last until the train showed up…_

Just before the punch would have collided with Yusuke's face, Kuwabara shot his sword out of his other hand. "Rei-Ken!" Yusuke gasped. Letting out another battle cry, Kuwabara swung his sword at Yusuke's neck. Jumping backward, Yusuke managed to keep his head, but his nose was cut by the sword at the last second.

Wiping the blood off, Yusuke smirked. "Not bad. It's been a while since I was in a fight that made me shed blood."

Kuwabara took a step back to admire his work. "Well, I _had_ been training since you left. I didn't just pass the high school entrance exams, you know."

Glancing up at the clock, Yusuke's excitement vanished. One minute until the train arrived. He couldn't carry this on any longer. "Hey," Yusuke called. "We don't have time for this. Come at me like you mean it, and I will too."

Kuwabara grinned wickedly. "I already have."

"What-"

Out of nowhere, Kuwabara's sword sprouted from the floor in-between Yusuke's feet. "W-Whoa!" Leaping in the air, Yusuke narrowly avoided the sword being jabbed into a rather uncomfortable place. Landing on the sword by balancing his feet on the sword's tip, Yusuke whistled. "You shot your sword out of your hand and into the floor, then extended it underground until it was under my feet, eh? If I had jumped been a millisecond later, you'd have skewered me." Yusuke grinned. "That's the sort of technique I'd have loved to see at the Demon Realm's tournament!"

Kuwabara stared at Yusuke. "U-Urameshi…"

"However…" Yusuke unclenched his fist to reveal a small seed in his palm. "…I have some tricks up my sleeve to."

Kurama gasped. "W-When did you-"

Laughing, Yusuke explained, "When I dodged his first sword strike, I pick pocketed you. Did you think I'd have let Kuwabara cut me otherwise?" Yusuke readied his hands for his signature Rei-gun move. "Unfortunately, I won't leave this train station until one of us agrees to stay behind as Urameshi Yusuke, and that sure isn't going to be me." Yusuke yelled with all his might, "REI-GUN!"

Firing at the bullet with his Reiki, Yusuke sent the seed flying… right into Kuwabara's gaping mouth. As Kuwabara gagged down the seed, his sword vanished. Landing back on the ground with one knee, Yusuke said, "Oh, and another thing. It isn't smart to keep your mouth open during a fight. One might take advantage and shoot it."

Tilting his head slightly at Yusuke, Hiei inquired, "And just how did you know which seed in Kurama's pocket was the right one?"

Yusuke blinked. He laughed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I didn't figure he'd have any other seeds in his pocket! Ha, ha!"

Kurama's eye twitched in silent aggravation. "Yusuke…"

The train pulled into the station, thankfully cutting Kurama off of any lecture he might have given. " _All passengers boarding the 9:00 train please step on the platform. All passengers…_ "

Yusuke punched his fist into his other hand. "All right, let's get this thing started!"

"Urameshi…."

Annoyed, Yusuke turned to see Kuwabara… or at least he _thought_ it was Kuwabara. He looked exactly like him. Yusuke smirked. "Looks like that seed works fast, eh?" Kuwabara silently glared at Yusuke. _Wow, my glare packs that much of a punch? Awesome._ Yusuke walked up to Kuwabara and whispered some made up excuses he thought of on the spot. "Look, the more guys we'd bring to the classroom, the more the other students would be on edge, not to mention this Koro-Sensei guy. He'll be more aware of our attempts to kill him, so it'd be a lot harder. The less people going the better. Besides," Yusuke added as he put his arm around Kuwabara in a buddy-buddy gesture. "Who else can I trust to be me and not deface my image?"

Yusuke could see the gears turning in Kuwabara's head. "All right, fine. I may have lost now, but when you get back, you're going to pay out the ass for this." Even his voice was identical to Yusuke's voice.

"Hey, Yusuke," Hiei called from the door to the train. "Get a move on or a move off."

"Coming, coming," Yusuke grumbled as he let go of Kuwabara and walked to the train. Looking over his shoulder, Yusuke said, "Oh, one last thing. I hope you realize you can't flirt with Yukina. If you do, Keiko will think I'm cheating on her."

Teeth grinding, Kuwabara spat, "You miserable…"

"See ya!" Yusuke leaped into the train doors just as they started to close automatically. Looking out a window, Yusuke could see Kuwabara glaring at him until the train left the station. _That's fine,_ Yusuke thought. _So long as he's pretending to be me, nothing bad could happen, right?_

"Yusuke," Kurama called from behind him. "Just what was your real purpose in making Kuwabara a body double?"

Looking over his shoulder, Yusuke asked, "What are you talking about? I just don't want to get chewed out by Keiko."

Kurama shook his head. "No, you've left her before with no explanation and it didn't seem to bother you."

Equally surprised and annoyed by Kurama's rudeness, Yusuke stuttered, "Y-Yeah, so? We're engaged now, so it's important that she stays happy!"

Hiei looked out the window as he commented, "More like important that you stay alive…"

"Shut up!"

Kurama laughed gently, enjoying his friends' company. Seeing how relaxed he was, Yusuke couldn't help but figure that Kurama had guessed his real intention behind the body double. That was fine, Kuwabara wasn't smart enough to figure it out on his own, after all.

* * *

Kuwabara angrily watched the train leave the station. Not only was it humiliating to have lost to Urameshi, but now his precious pompadour that he so tenderly shampooed every day was gone, replaced by several whisps of black hair in his face. Trying to comb them back with his hands, Kuwabara wondered how Yusuke lived with himself, walking around so unsightly. At least he'd only have to put up with this form for a week.

"Oh, good, you're still here!"

"Eh?"

Kuwabara turned to see Botan running up to him. This time, she was dressed in her traditional kimono. "I have terrible news. Could you put the Koro-Sensei assignment on hold for a while?"

Kuwabara blinked. "I'm not part of that assignment anymore."

Waving her hand dismissively, Botan said, "Yeah, sure, after you made me get lectured by Koenma-sama for well over an hour because of your stubborn bet, you're not involved at all. Now, Koenma-sama has a new task that's even more urgent. Remember your assignment to find Koenma-sama's Sacred Boxer-shorts? Well, his matching PJ's set has gone missing, and-"

"GRAHHHHH!"

Botan jumped back, startled as Kuwabara screamed, "THAT'S WHY HE LEFT ME BEHIND! To deal with your stupid crap!"

"Excuse me?"

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Kuwabara yelled, "Urameshi! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS SOMEDAY, I GUARANTEE IT!"

* * *

The atmosphere of the classroom was tense to say the least. Koro-Sensei had put his classes on hold until the new students arrived, something he's never done before. Rumors that even he was afraid of these new three pupils spiraled around the classroom like a rampaging tornado, but Nagisa knew it was just wishful thinking. Assassins sent in by the government themselves like Ms. Vitch couldn't do him in, so three new students from nowhere weren't going to be of any use either.

"Hey," Kaede whispered nervously. "Do you really think they can kill Koro-Sensei?"

Kaede was Nagisa's best friend (and hopefully more!). She was seated in the desk next to him, so the two would frequently talk to each other about assassination plans. Especially since Nagisa kept a record of all of Koro-Sensei's weaknesses, which just may prove invaluable in killing him. Many considered him the go-to on Koro-Sensei, so confronting Nagisa before any assassination attempts was always a good idea.

"It's too soon to say," Nagisa admitted. "But look at it this way; even if they're skilled in battle, that doesn't mean they're skilled in _assassination_. In battle, anyone can win if they're strong enough. But being an assassin requires precise movements and careful planning. They may both involve battling or killing, but in practice, they're practically complete opposites."

Kaede pondered that as she tapped her chin. "So they may just turn out to be like Mr. Karasuma: great at military battles, but ultimately unable to kill Koro-Sensei, huh?"

"Well, Mr. Karasuma is a member of the Ministry of Defense, so it may be hoping for too much to compare them to him…"

Just then, unfamiliar voices erupted from the hallway.

"This is their school? Looks just like any other school, but it's so small…"

"I recall Botan telling me that the class Koro-Sensei taught was Class 3-E, so this is the right place. Perhaps the other classrooms are held in a different building."

"What does it matter? I'm only here to meet this Koro-Sensei and kill him, not to make chit-chat with some kids and become involved in their childish curriculum."

Koro-Sensei piped up, "All right, everyone, look lively! It's time to meet the three new students."

A black haired man with bangs in his eyes slid open the classroom door. He looked around with a tight frown as though he were a soldier on a battlefield searching for the corpses of fallen comrades. Two others walked in as well, one with long red hair, and one with a strange mix of black and white hair. The numerous spikes in the multi-colored haired one reminded Nagisa of a manga he once read called Dragon Ball. The man glanced at the students with his piercing red eyes, sending chills down their backs. He looked away, suppressing a smirk, as though he confirmed that they were incomparable to him. Nagisa knew right away that he was going to be trouble.

Koro-Sensei gushed, "Now please introduce yourselves for the class- HEY!"

The one with short black hair had opened up Koro-Sensei's desk drawer and was peering inside. "Hentai, huh? You have even more than me."

"P-Please don't look in-"

The multi-colored haired one picked up a gun off the floor and stared at it with bloodlust in his eyes. "A classroom that openly leaves weapons on the floor?" He smiled evilly as he cocked the gun. "Sounds like my kind of place."

"No, those are special-"

The red haired one regarded the flowers that were left on the window, seemingly disappointed. "These flowers look wilted. Have you even been watering them?"

Koro-Sensei turned bright pink, speechless and embarrassed. "I, er, I think it was Miss Irina's turn…"

The banged one spoke again, pointing an accusing finger at Koro-Sensei. "You're Koro-Sensei, right? When I heard you were an octopus out to destroy the world, I'd have at _least_ thought you'd look the part. You look like some sort of crappy happy graduation emoticon!"

The students were in awe. These new students didn't even flinch when they saw Koro-Sensei's bizarre appearance. And to top it off, in ten seconds flat, they had put Koro-Sensei to shame. Judging by his pink colored face, he looked like he wanted to die. Nagisa squeaked, "Incredible…"

The one with bangs stepped turned to the class. He put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "All right, kids! Listen to your sempai when he says he's going to kill this guy. My name is Urameshi Yusuke-sama, Super Delinquent! I'm an ex-Spirit Realm Detective, demon hunter extraordinaire!"

The multi-colored hair student jut his head in the air as he declared, "My name is Hiei. Interfere with what I'm trying to do here, and Koro-Sensei won't be the only one who should put his affairs in order."

The one with red hair tossed his hair over his shoulder, sending all the girls swooning. "My name is Yoko Kurama, but please call me Minamino Shuichi. It's a pleasure to meet and work with all of you. Let's all do our very best to kill our teacher…" He flashed a dazzling smile. "…okay?"

Koro-Sensei, his face red with anger, declared, "All right, that's enough of the introductions. Remember that no matter how unique you may be when you step through that door you become just an ordinary student." Nagisa stifled a laugh. Looked like Koro-Sensei was jealous of the new students getting all the attention. Turning to the one called Yusuke, Koro-Sensei wondered aloud, "Now, where to seat you three…?"

Hiei didn't wait for an invitation. Walking to the back of the classroom, he humphed, "I don't need one of your wussy seats. This entire classroom is my desk, and all the people within are my tools to manipulate." He leaned up against the wall and glared at the students, silently challenging them to say otherwise.

"Oooookaaay, " Koro-Sensei said. "Now, Urameshi, let's-"

Yusuke slammed his hand down on Koro-Sensei's desk, frightening everyone into silence. "All right, cut the crap."

"Eh?"

Eyeing Koro-Sensei menacingly, Yusuke snapped, "You heard me. This whole school thing-what kind of joke is this? You're trying to destroy the world. You're a demon. And yet, you expect me and all of your students to just accept that and treat you like any other teacher?!" Yusuke slammed the desk again, his voice growing more on edge. "Don't jerk me around!"

Koro-Sensei's beady eyes bore into Yusuke. After a long uncomfortable silence, Koro-Sensei turned to Nagisa. "Nagisa. Could you please explain to the class your feelings about this curriculum?"

Everyone turned to Nagisa so suddenly, he found himself stuttering. "U-Uh… I guess I enjoy it. It's completely different from any other school. Here I'm not just some random student, I'm an assassin taught by professionals." Nagisa found the words came to naturally as he continued, "I'm not just some Class E trash like everyone else thinks… I'm someone I can take pride in being. That's what it means to be a student of the assassination classroom."

Koro-Sensei nodded, his face lighting up with a red circle. "Correct. Well said, Nagisa." Turning to Yusuke, Koro-Sensei said blankly, "You'll never kill me, Urameshi."

"W-What?"

"You can't even begin to accept the environment where you'll be working, and yet you expect to kill me? You degrade my students, but you expect me to treat you like a professional? My students are fairly younger than you are, and even they have learned to adapt to this situation and have accept it." His face lining with green and yellow stripes, Koro-Sensei taunted, "So even if you're their 'sempai' in schooling, my students will always be your senior in assassination."

The students of Class E found themselves relaxing. It seemed they were beginning to believe that Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama were just more washed-up assassins who wouldn't be able to accomplish what they were hired to do. Now who was put in their place? Yusuke must have realized the classroom's sentiment, because he became furious. His brow furrowing and teeth clenched, he growled, "You…"

Koro-Sensei completely ignored whatever Yusuke was about to say as he turned to face the class. "Everyone, bring out your textbooks, it's time for class to start. It looks like today wasn't as auspicious a day as I first thought it'd be."

Reeling back for a punch, Yusuke yelled, "You little-!"

Kurama grabbed Yusuke's wrist. "Yusuke. I think it'd be best if you saved that for later."

"Listen to your friend," Koro-Sensei said with approval. "I tend to look down upon those who would try to assassinate me while class is in session."

Glancing at the students' faces, Yusuke jarred his wrist free of Kurama and walked down the aisles of desks in a way that could only be described as in shame. He pulled out a spare chair from a desk to Nagisa's right and turned the chair around, so its back was facing the front of the classroom. Sitting on the chair backwards and leaning forward against its back, Yusuke regarded Koro-Sensei in a way that a student would study a tricky practice test question.

"Um," Nagisa blurted out. "Hi. I'm Nagisa Shiota."

A moment of silence passed before Yusuke asked, "…That guy. Is he really as strong as everyone says?"

"…He's the strongest of them all."

Pressing his face into the char, Yusuke muttered, "I see…" A strange look appeared on his face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

After Kurama picked out a desk in the back of the room near Hiei, Koro-Sensei began class like normal. Yusuke hadn't flinched from his position earlier, and the only thing that assured Nagisa he was still alive was when he'd randomly whisper to himself. "No, that won't work… Mach-20, mach-20…" Perhaps he was taking his role as an assassin seriously. Or maybe he just wanted to kill Koro-Sensei for what he said earlier.

"Minamino," Koro-Sensei called. "Approximately when did the Tokugawa Era begin and end?"

Kurama stood up and said formally, "The Tokugawa Era began in 1603 and ended in 1867, lasting 264 years."

A red circle replacing his yellow face, Koro-Sensei said with approval, "Correct. Though the math was not necessary, I appreciate it."

Laughing and rubbing the back of his head, Kurama apologized, "Heh, forgive me." The girls started gushing about him again, making Nagisa uncomfortable.

Hiei opened one eye and questioned, "For being a demon, why do you know so much about human history?"

Smiling, Kurama turned to Hiei. "I was raised as a human, remember?" He added while holding up a textbook, "And I did a bit of studying on the way here." Hiei shook his head, unsurprised.

Suddenly, the door slid open. Mr. Karasuma burst in and barked, "Hey, Monster! Class is cancelled, we just got word from the principal himself."

Everyone in the classroom tensed up and suppressed their smiles. This was the moment they were waiting for.

"Oh," Koro-Sensei asked with fake uncertainty, "…whatever could be the matter?"

Mr. Karasuma explained with a sense of urgency, "Apparently, as per an anonymous tip, this classroom has been deemed too unsanitary by health and safety regulations. A team has been sent to investigate. If you don't leave before they show up… The entire world will learn of your existence."

"Don't worry, I understand," Koro-Sensei cooed smoothly. He was a good actor. Turning to the students, he proclaimed, "All right, students, I'm ducking out for a bit to see if I can get them to leave. Stay here and listen to Mr. Karasuma." Koro-Sensei blasted out of the classroom with the eagerness of an animal pouncing on its prey.

Yusuke whispered to Nagisa, "Hey, does this happen often?"

Surprised Yusuke was talking to anyone, Nagisa replied with uncertainty, "No, not really."

Hiei scoffed from behind them. "Our first day here, and already the teacher has proven himself incompetent. It's beyond me how anyone could have trouble killing that buffoon."

Eyeing Nagisa, Kurama theorized, "I'm not so sure about that…"

Mr. Karasuma cleared his throat. "All right, social time is over. Follow me." As everyone got up out of their desk mumbling their grievances, Mr. Karasuma corrected himself. "That is, everyone but the student named Urameshi Yusuke."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Why me? This is starting to sound fishy."

After a thoughtful pause, Mr. Karasuma said threateningly, "You'll find out soon enough."

Everyone left the classroom. Curious to see the new student's reactions, Nagisa hung by the doorway, watching the scene play before him. Hiei and Kurama also stood outside the doorway, looking over Nagisa's shoulders.

His eagerness rising, Mr. Karasuma turned to the students gathered by the door. "All right. It's time for what you've been waiting for all day."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "We're free from this hellhole?"

"No, just the opposite." Mr. Karasuma shook his head and muttered, "I still can't believe he came up with this…"

Kurama stepped forward. "What are you talking about?"

Mr. Karasuma declared, "As per that monster's wishes… It'll be a long time before you two can get out of here."

* * *

"Good morning, Urameshi Yusuke! I hope you're enjoying my class."

Looking around the empty classroom, Yusuke demanded, "Where are you?!"

Koro-Sensei's voice responded, "Why, I'm right here. In the speaker." Yusuke looked up to notice a speaker attached to the ceiling. It was probably used by the principal or some other faculty member to make special announcements. "I would like to propose a challenge to you, Mr. Super Delinquent."

The demonkin blood inside Yusuke started to grow excited. Now he was talking Yusuke's language. "So that health and safety thing was just a cover up, huh? What sort of challenge?"

"You've disrespected my classroom, so between teacher and student, a private lesson is about to take place." He said darkly, "The power in all rooms besides this one are out. Your friends, Hiei and Kurama, have been hidden somewhere in the facility. I want you to find them… while avoiding an entire classroom's worth of assassins. Killing my students will not be tolerated, however, you may knock them out. Find your friends and avoid my professionals… within thirty minutes."

Ignoring the threatening tone Koro-Sensei had taken, Yusuke grinned and made a finger gun, pointing at the speaker. "You're on, Tentacles. Let's just see how well your students handle my brand of fighting."


	3. Episode 3: Battle of Wits

Episode Three: Battle of Wits

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

For all the bravado he was spouting earlier, Yusuke was having a devil of a time finding Kurama and Hiei. When Koro-Sensei proposed his challenge, Yusuke was positive he could win it within ninety seconds or so. After all, he could use his Reiki to sense for Kurama and Hiei's Yoki, a fact that Koro-Sensei wasn't aware of. But Yusuke quickly realized that it was impossible to sense them, so Yusuke figured that Koro-Sensei had to of done something to suppress or hide their Yoki.

"I feel cheated somehow." Yusuke cursed under his breath. Pacing up and down the stairs leading to the classroom building, Yusuke wondered if Kurama and Hiei had just boarded the train and went home. If so, Yusuke would never find them, much less within the twenty minutes that he had remaining. Sitting down on the stairs outside the school, Yusuke considered his options.

He hadn't encountered a single student, so maybe they were hiding, waiting for a chance to strike. That… or they were all grouped where Kurama and Hiei were, acting as guards. If that was indeed the case, then if Yusuke found one student, he'd have found them all. If he were wrong and all the students were spread out, then hell, he could just threaten them until they told him. Then again, who said they even knew Kurama and Hiei's whereabouts…?

The rustle of a nearby bush brought Yusuke back to reality. Something whizzed past his ear so fast he could fear his ear pop. Yusuke stood up and performed a back-flip as another barrage of the projectiles came at him.

 _So they've begun their assault, eh? I must be close._

When more projectiles came, Yusuke punched them in rapid succession, stopping them in mid-air. "Orarara!" Catching one in-between his fingers, Yusuke looked to confirm that they were indeed rubber bullets. Hiei would be disappointed to hear that real weapons weren't allowed on campus after all.

The bullets stopped coming. The mystery attacker must have been in awe of Yusuke's ability to stop the bullets. Picking one up, Yusuke said aloud, "All right, come out if you don't want to get hurt." No response. Yusuke grinned. Despite giving a warning, he'd hoped his attacker would insist going down the hard way. "Suit yourself."

Placing the bullet carefully into the palm of his hand, Yusuke eyed a bush at the bottom of the stairs. _That's gotta be it._ Channeling a bit of Reiki into his fingertips, Yusuke flicked the bullet at the bush.

It flew straight into the attacker's face as though it were fired by a gun. "C-Crap!" The would be attacker stumbled before standing up in an attempt to run away.

"No you don't!" Yusuke made an impossible leap off the stairs to land right in front of the perpetrator on one knee. Glaring, Yusuke ordered as he stood up, "You're staying right here."

The student backed up, surprised. Judging from the spiked black hair and friendly eyes, Yusuke deduced it was the student Koro-Sensei addressed as 'Sugino'. "W-What do you want with me?"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. Sugino looked genuinely terrified to the point it was almost funny. "Look, kid, I'm not going to eat you. Just tell me where Kurama and Hiei are."

Sugino looked at the ground somberly. "I-I don't know. Koro-Sensei didn't tell us. I think he said 'I can't guarantee that none of you will slip up, so I'm afraid I'll be the one hiding Minamino and Hiei.'"

 _Damn it._ "Where are the other students, then?"

"We all split up after Mr. Karasuma gave the signal."

Mr. Karasuma must have been the man who interrupted class. Seeing as he was the one who led the students outside the classroom, he had to know something. "Karasuma, huh? Where's he?"

Sighing, Sugino pointed towards a badminton field. "Probably around the gym equipment. He's our gym teacher, after all."

"'K, thanks." Yusuke started to walk away. "Oh, I almost forgot." Yusuke whipped around and knocked Sugino's gun out of his hand. Before it fell to the ground, Yusuke caught it. "I can't have you sniping me from behind, now can I?"

Sugino blinked in surprise. "I-I guess not…" Yusuke turned around to walk away. "Oh," Sugino piped up. "One last thing. Koro-Sensei said asking around won't help you. Searching blindly won't either. He said to use your brain and respect his capabilities."

Respect his capabilities? It sounded like Koro-Sensei was fond of patting himself on the back. "I'll keep that in mind," Yusuke replied as he walked off, oblivious to the evil smile on Sugino's face.

Trying not to think about Sugino's strange advice about Koro-Sensei, Yusuke walked over to the gym equipment. It seemed like the students didn't have some grand strategy up their sleeve after all. They were simply too afraid of Yusuke to attack him. Rumors about his reputation probably flew all over the school if even Koro-Sensei knew enough to mention the Spirit Realm.

Noticing an adult man looking at the badminton net, Yusuke called, "Hey! You Karasu-" Yusuke didn't have time to finish his sentence before the ground gave way beneath him. "W-What in the-?! Gah!" He fell in a free fall for couple yards until he smacked against the ground. "Ow, ow, ow…" he complained, rubbing his sore butt. "What the hell is…?" The realization dawned on him. He fell in a pitfall.

Sugino's tip turned out to be a trap.

Several silhouettes approached the rim of the pit, all speaking at once.

"We got him! I knew he'd come over here."

"He probably wanted a cheap way out by asking Mr. Karasuma for help."

"Good thing we thought ahead and made that cardboard cut-out of him."

Yusuke spat on the dirt. Crud. Even his lead about Karasuma was a lie. Yusuke made a mental note not to take one of these brats for their word ever again. "All right, all right," Yusuke called up, pretending to admit defeat. "You got me. What are you going to do?"

A red-haired, demonic looking student stepped forward and looked down at Yusuke. "That's the best part; nothing. We'll watch you struggle to escape as you run out of your fifteen remaining minutes."

"What the hell did I do to you?"

Laughing, he gloated, "Nothing. Even if you had, that's not the reason we're doing this. We're all sick of half-assed assassins coming in to take our place. This time, it isn't even one, it's three at the same time!" The student shook his head in disapproval. "And that display you put on in class earlier? Shameful." Thrusting his thumb into his chest, the student declared, "This is _our_ job. We won't accept anyone else butting in. Koro-Sensei isn't aware of this, of course, so we'll just make it seem like you fell into this hole on your own, and not that we tricked you."

Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "That's playing dirty. You don't have a shred of honor or dignity."

The student shrugged. "I guess not."

Cracking his knuckles, Yusuke said, "Then it looks like I'll have to beat this lesson into you…" Yusuke jumped out of the pit with the force of an animal. "…No one gets the drop on _me_ that easily!"

Taking advantage of their shock, Yusuke slugged the nearest three students without missing a beat, knocking them to the ground. Several tried to snipe him from behind, but Yusuke ducked and swept their legs. A few other students shot at him from tree branches, but Yusuke leapt to the side. Taking the gun he stole from Sugino in hand, Yusuke fired at his attackers. The sounds of yells followed by thuds meant Yusuke had hit his targets.

Yusuke stood up and surveyed his work. The students he had punched were lying on the ground, rubbing their cheeks in pain. He'd held back as best he could, but when one was strong as Yusuke, that didn't mean much. The rest were running for the hills. Confident his work here was done, Yusuke turned around to leave. "Where do you think you're going?"

Just as Yusuke turned, a punch smashed into his face. Sent reeling backwards, Yusuke skid against the dirt. He hadn't been focusing his Reiki to raise his defenses, so he took the punch like any other human. Feeling blood drip down his chin, Yusuke asked, "You. You're the mastermind behind this trap, aren't you?"

The student chuckled. It was the red-head who mouthed off at him while he was in the pit trap. "Yep. My name is Akabane Karma." He smirked as he said, "In the school's eyes, I'm a bit of a 'Super Delinquent' myself." Yusuke readied his fists, but Karma seemed less eager to fight and more eager to brag. "I had our top informant Nagisa look into you. Seems your friends told him that you're a muscle-head who charges into things without thinking first. So I teamed up with Sugino and the other students to take advantage of that." Laughing, Karma added, "The idea of you being an assassin is a joke. No wait. I changed my mind." Karma charged at Yusuke, "Your life is a joke, and your failure here is the punch-line!"

Karma thrusted at Yusuke with a rubber dagger. Dodging left and right in rapid succession, Yusuke avoided being… skewered? Tapped? by the rubber toy. Just as Karma was about to slash at Yusuke again, Yusuke grabbed his wrist. Taking advantage of Karma's surprise, Yusuke got in several blows to Karma's face.

Karma must not have been kidding about being a Super Delinquent, because Karma stood his ground against the barrage. Karma stomped on Yusuke's foot with all his might. Letting out a grunt of pain, Yusuke loosened his grip on Karma's hand just enough that he slipped out like an eel. _Damn it,_ Yusuke thought. _If I could fight like I was serious, this guy'd be down in a nanosecond._

Karma felt the blood run down his face with his fingers. "Not bad," he admitted. "But I can't say you're all that special. Anyone could manage punches like that."

Laughing, Yusuke countered, "True, but if I actually put any force behind those punches, your head would have gone flying. Fortunately for you, Koro-Sensei told me not to kill anyone."

Karma and Yusuke circled each other as Karma said, "Funny…" Karma jumped above Yusuke's head, clenching his dagger in both hands and pointing it straight down. "I don't recall asking for a handicap!"

Grinning, Yusuke pulled out Sugino's gun. "Guess I have to pull out my trump card after all." Yusuke shot several rounds at Karma's hands, causing him to drop the dagger.

Karma let out a gasp in surprise. "What?!"

"Haaaaa!" As Karma was about to land from his jump, Yusuke made sure he landed decisively… onto Yusuke's fist.

After the punch, Karma stumbled away from Yusuke. Having been de-armed and punched repeatedly during the fight, Karma could barely manage to talk. "Using the momentum from my jump to make your punch even more powerful…" He crumpled to the ground. "You really are… a professional…"

After staring at Karma's unconscious form for a few seconds, Yusuke walked over to the cardboard cutout he had believed to be Karasuma. "He really was a fake…" A few moments passed before Yusuke shot it through the forehead with Sugino's gun for good measure. "Jackasses…"

Yusuke sat down on the remains of the cardboard, his fist under his chin. Deep in thought, he wondered, _That Karma guy said I had fifteen minutes when I was inside the pit. Assuming it took me seven minutes to knock him out, then I'd only have eight left to find Kurama and Hiei._ Yusuke's brow furrowed. _That means I probably would have enough time to do a half-ass glance over the campus again. But since I'd already tried that twice before I ran into Sugino, I doubt that would amount to anything. I need to think._

Yusuke let out a frustrated sigh and stared up at the clouds. _If I were an invincible demon who could travel at mach-20, where would I hide…?_ Yusuke blinked. _Wait. Mach-20._ Excitement building as an idea took hold in his mind, Yusuke stood up. He took a deep breath. It was a while since he last used this.

Readying his hands in a Rei-gun pose, Yusuke shouted, "Rei-Shotgun!"

Firing out his Reiki like bullets, Yusuke shot all over the campus, spraying dirt and grass everywhere. As the dirt fell to the ground, Yusuke noticed some of it was moving horizontally, against the wind Yusuke was making. Almost as if a certain someone was flying at Mach-20 past the storage shed. _There!_ Yusuke took a Rei-gun stance again. "Rei-gun!" Firing at the spot in question, the ground was blown away, and Yusuke was temporarily blinded until his Rei-gun extinguished in the distance.

"…I think you could have found a simpler way of calling me out. Preferably one that _didn't_ involve dirtying the school grounds so much." Koro-Sensei materialized once the light died down. He was covered in dirt and grass. "That was a truly marvelous display of power. But how did you figure out where I was?"

Yusuke smirked. "If I could travel at mach-20 and I was playing hide and seek, I wouldn't stand still and wait to be found. I'd abuse my power and run around faster than the naked eye the entire time, ensuring I'd win beyond a doubt. Once I figured that out, I used my Rei-shotgun to spray dirt onto you. Even if you're as fast as mach-20, if you're covered in dirt then you become visible when you're moving. You knew it too, so that's why you gave up and appeared in front of me, right?"

Koro-Sensei's face lit up with a red circle, praising him for the first time since he had arrived. "Well done. I believe I underestimated you." His face turning into a blue X, Koro-Sensei lectured, "But finding me doesn't count for finding your friends. You have four minutes left."

Laughing, Yusuke said, "You mean you didn't realize the most critical part of my plan?"

"Eh?"

Yusuke wagged his finger. "I said that if I were capable of moving at mach-20 and I were playing hide and seek I would move constantly. But that's assuming I was the only one hiding. If there were several people, I'd grab them and hide them in different locations every time someone approached them." Beads of sweat dripped down Koro-Sensei's face, confirming Yusuke's suspicions. "That's what you did, right? Every time I would have found them by chance you took Kurama and Hiei with you and hide them in a new spot."

Pouting, Koro-Sensei retorted, "Well, knowing my methods doesn't count as finding them. And with three minutes left, you won't be able to search randomly for where I hid them earlier."

Yusuke shook his head. "Yeah, probably not. But I have a good idea. They're in the storage shed, right?"

In a panic, Koro-Sensei stuttered, "W-What would give you that idea?!"

Pointing with a jerk of his thumb, Yusuke explained, "…It's the only place not covered in dirt. When I used my Shotgun, you probably were circling the shed at Mach-20 acting as a guard of sorts. The flying dirt that would have covered the shed hit you moving at Mach-20 instead of the shed itself, leaving it squeaky clean."

Silence.

Refusing to give up, Koro-sensei replied, "See for yourself."

Yusuke walked over to the storage shed and opened the door. It creaked loudly, and several sports equipment fell off the shelves as Yusuke entered. Hiei and Kurama were sitting on the floor, playing a card game.

Hiei looked up. "Exactly twenty-eight minuets and thirty-four seconds. You've lost your edge, Yusuke."

"Well," Kurama defended. "We _were_ suppressing our Yoki so much that we could have passed for humans."

Scoffing, Hiei threw his cards onto to the floor and stood up. "That's irrelevant. And I'm never playing a card game with you again."

"Ah, that's right. You don't like losing." Kurama grinned up at Hiei. "Sorry, I forgot about that." Hiei glared at Kurama, threatening to kill him under his breath.

Yusuke turned to Koro-Sensei, a confident smile on his face. "Well, I found them! Now hold up your end of the bargain."

Koro-Sensei nodded. "Indeed you did, so now I have to…" Koro-Sensei blinked. "Wait. What bargain?"

"Aw, come on," Yusuke teased. "Don't chicken out now. You promised you'd stand still for five seconds if I found Hiei and Kurama."

"…Somehow I don't think-"

A gunshot echoed throughout the room. Shocked, Yusuke and Kurama turned to Hiei. Smoking gun in hand, Hiei asked, "What? He was standing still. He practically begged me to do it."

"No way…"

"Unfortunately," Koro-Sensei jeered. "Your first assassination attempt has ended in failure."

Yusuke and Kurama gasped and turned to Koro-Sensei. The bullet was lodged into a clump of dirt Koro-Sensei was holding in one of his tentacles. "If you had done your research, you'd know that unplanned assassinations never work against me. Neither will cheap tricks like your so called 'bargain', Urameshi."

"Tsk."

"In fact," Koro-Sensei added, "there's something along those lines that I'd like to talk to you three about. It's the reason I had this game to begin with." Yusuke and Kurama exchanged nervous glances. What now?

Koro-Sensei began, "First, I would like to commend Minamino for being a bright student who answers when called. His cooperation with me during my game and ability to convince Hiei to follow suit was also appreciated."

Kurama smiled. "Thank you."

Hiei spat on the floor. "Teacher's pet."

"But," Koro-Sensei continued. "Even so, the three of you are having trouble accepting Class 3-E for what it is. It is a classroom that hosts lessons on both academics and assassinations. You believe that you can be my student and only be here to assassinate me instead of learning, yet none of you are really students of Class 3-E if you cannot do both. Who knows? Perhaps if you listened in class you'd learn a few things that would help you assassinate me, as my other students have. For example, if you were my student, you'd know that the Principal is aware of my existence and would never raise the possibility of me being discovered for something as inconsequential as a health and safety regulations test. And, perhaps more importantly," Koro-Sensei added as he stared at Yusuke with a sly smile. "…You'd know that Mr. Karasuma has left for the day by now." Yusuke could feel his ears burn red. "As it stands," Koro-Sensei continued, "Your lack of respect for Class 3-E's basic principals will be your downfall. I put on this charade to show you that. Only by becoming a true student here first will you have any chance of killing me. If you can't bring yourself to look at the full picture, you won't accomplish anything. That goes for assassinations and in life." Koro-Sensei turned to leave. "Remember that. It's my first lesson to you as your teacher." Koro-Sensei lowered his head. "Class is dismissed. I'll see all of you tomorrow." He started to walk (slither? slide?) out of the shed.

"Hold it, Tentacles," Yusuke called. Koro-Sensei stopped. "You can't just lecture us and walk away after all the crap you put me through. I have a proposal for _you_ , and I at least have the right to make you listen to it."

Koro-Sensei pondered this. He turned to face Yusuke. "All right. I will listen to what you have to say. You performed splendidly by finding Hiei and Minamino, after all."

Yusuke snorted. Like he gave a damn what this guy thought of him or how well he did. "The three of us will only stay here for a week. Due to, uh, unique circumstances, if we stay any longer, not all of us will make it through this ordeal alive." _Namely me. Keiko's bound to figure out Kuwabara isn't me by then._

"That is acceptable," Koro-Sensei answered. "I don't expect students who are only here to assassinate me to stay for very long, anyway."

"By the end of this school week, if none of us can kill you…" Yusuke puffed out his chest. "Then I want you to destroy the Human Realm right away instead of waiting for the rest of the year. After all, if none of your students can, and we can't, then there probably aren't any other fighters in the world who'd be up to the job."

Kurama lost his composure, his anger bursting out from behind his blasé mask. "What?! Yusuke, this is the first time I'm hearing of this. Do you realize how selfish it is to ask for something like that?!"

Looking over his shoulder at Kurama, Yusuke explained, "There's no point in wasting everyone's time. If we can't kill the guy, we can't kill the guy. If his students can't, then his students can't. Time isn't going to change that. If the world's going to end, then at least let it end with some dignity."

Hiei piped up, "I agree with Yusuke. For once, he's using logic." Smirking, Hiei added, "Besides, how does the well-being of the Human Realm concern me?"

"But…" Averting everyone's gaze, Kurama looked down at the floor. "…If you say so."

Koro-Sensei stared into Yusuke, sizing him up. "…I like your confidence, Urameshi. From being lectured by me to being bold enough to claim superiority in just a few hours… I don't even think any of my other students have your audacity. Very well. I will change my plans about the world's destruction. However, don't tell any of the other students about this. If you do, they may panic, and their assassination attempts would become rushed and sloppy. I'd be able to avoid them in my sleep."

Yusuke shook his head. He just made a daring declaration to kill him, and yet Koro-Sensei was still thinking about his students first and foremost. Maybe he really was a good teacher. Yusuke held out his hand. "You're on, Tentacles. Just be sure to put up a good fight."

His face lined with green and yellow stripes, Koro-Sensei shook Yusuke's hand and gloated, "I could ask the same of you. I look forward to an interesting final week before the end of the world."

With the stakes heightened and a challenge from his target, Yusuke found himself gripping Koro-Sensei's tentacle unnecessarily tightly. _I_ will _get my satisfaction, Tentacles,_ Yusuke promised. _Just you wait._


	4. Episode 4: Going To Management!

Episode Four: Going To Management!

After his shameful and undeserving victory, Yusuke sat in the corner of the storage shed, mumbling to himself and drawing diagrams with the dust on the floor. Hiei decided that now would be a bad time to mention that he arranged for them to sleep in the storage shed when they weren't in class. The two hour train ride, plus the time it would take for Yusuke and Kurama to return to their respectful homes, would be too long to conceivably do every day.

"Hey," Yusuke whined, breaking the silence. He was still bitter about how long it took him to find Hiei and Kurama. "Why did you two cooperate with Koro-Sensei in all this?"

Hiei snapped, "Isn't it obvious? The closer you are to your target, the more you learn about him. You don't get any closer to your target than it carrying you all over creation. Besides, Koro-Sensei said it was to teach you a lesson. You need all the lessons you can get." Yusuke grunted, not in the mood to argue.

Kurama's mood wasn't any better either. After Yusuke's revelation about destroying the world in a week should they be unsuccessful, Kurama had been unbearably pissy. Most likely, he was worried about his family's safety. Moron. Didn't he realize that all he'd have to do to protect them was to kill Koro-Sensei, which was the reason they came here in the first place?

Speaking of Koro-Sensei, the speech he gave bothered Hiei. He made it sound like being a student here was a state of mind, not a state of being. But Hiei was never anyone's "student" in the first place. In the Demon Realm, he spent most of his life slaughtering those who got in his way, so he had come to have quite an ego when it came to his strength. The result? Even if he had a teacher, he'd be too arrogant to think of him that way. Most likely, Hiei would see it as he was manipulating his teacher to be of use to him. Well, Hiei once had a sword instructor, but their relationship was forced so it might as well have never happened.

"Hey, Kurama," Hiei asked suddenly. "Just what do you propose Koro-Sensei meant when he said to become a true student of Class 3-E?"

Kurama looked up. He had been sitting on his feet in the middle of the storage shed's floor, deep in thought. "…I'm not sure. Typically, an ideal teacher-student relationship would be that of one where the student respects and learns from the teacher, and the teacher may even learn from his student, making him a better teacher in the process. I'd imagine the best kind of teacher would be one who both learns and listens to his students as well as having many years of experience, while the best student would be one who cooperates with his teacher during that process."

"Oh? And just how long do you think Koro-Sensei has been teaching?"

"I don't know. I know very little about him, other than he's capable of moving at mach-20 with precise accuracy and skill. The way he both held us tightly and deflected the wind pressure and debris leads me to one conclusion: even in the event that he hasn't been a teacher for very long, he's been at this level of power long enough to utilize it perfectly."

"We need more information," Yusuke piped up from the corner of the room. Crossing his arms, Yusuke stated, "We need to perform research on him somehow. Maybe we could tail him around for a day?"

Hiei laughed. "Idiot. If he moves at mach-20 and he'd noticed us following him, he would just run away. Not to mention, what if he spends most of his time traveling at mach-20? If so, then we wouldn't be able to find him in the first place."

"I suppose this is where the 'look at the full picture' part comes into play," Kurama muttered, tapping his lips with his index finger.

Turning to Kurama, Hiei demanded, "What do you mean?"

"Koro-Sensei must have meant for us to realize that we couldn't possibly discover all of his weaknesses within a week …on our own. His game was a means of showing us that powerlessness. He admitted it himself. Look at it from this perspective, even while he was distracted, you were unable to shoot and kill him from a point blank range. Logically speaking, other students have probably tried to kill him in a similar manner. If we had talked to them, we wouldn't have had to try it ourselves."

Hiei knew where this was going, and he didn't like it. "You're saying that if we want to use our week to its maximum potential, then we need to talk to the other students and learn from their mistakes."

Kurama nodded. "Exactly."

A fourth voice interrupted, "Then maybe I could be of use."

The three turned to see a short blue haired kid standing in the doorway, blocking the sunlight that had illuminated the room previously. Drawing his sword, Hiei ordered, "Who are you? State your business or die."

Yusuke coughed, "Hey, I think he's the guy who sat next to me in class. Nagisa, right?"

Nodding, Nagisa pulled out a notebook of some sort. "Right. I'm here to help you."

Hiei put his sword away. "That notebook in your hand has information on Koro-Sensei, doesn't it? Hand it over."

"Sure," Nagisa agreed. Hiei reached out to swipe it, but Nagisa held it above his reach. Never before did Hiei's short height tick him off more than now, when an elementary school student could reach higher than him. "But," Nagisa corrected with a smile. "Only if you tell me everything you know about the Spirit and Demon Realm I've heard so much about."

Frustrated, Hiei spat, "They're places far beyond your comprehension. Now give me that damn book or I'll-"

Kurama rubbed his chin. "Hold on, Hiei. As long as he doesn't tell everyone else, I see no reason not to comply with his demands."

Anger rising, Hiei turned to Kurama. "I refuse to be ordered around by an elementary school brat."

Yusuke stood up. "Well, if the world does end, it wouldn't matter, would it? We can't stop Tentacles without more information, and that means it's sayonara bye, bye, world. If Nagisa has what we need, we should use it."

"I'm glad you understand."

"But," Yusuke interjected, pointing at Nagisa, "…how do we know we can trust you? Your buddies made me look like a fool by tricking me into a pit fall not even thirty minutes ago. And now you think we'll trust you enough to cut deals with you?"

 _You sure made yourself look like a fool,_ Hiei remarked silently, a smirk on his face.

"Fair enough." Nagisa tossed his notebook onto the floor. Faster than the eye could see, Hiei snatched it up. "That notebook, as you guessed, contains all my notes on Koro-Sensei's weaknesses. It's yours."

Hiei half turned to Nagisa, sizing him up. "What do you even want to know about the Realms for? You have no spiritual power to speak of, so you'll never be able to interact with any Realms besides the Human Realm. Knowing about the others would be pointless."

"To be honest," Nagisa answered. "I just enjoying learning everything I can. My poor grades landed me in Class E, so when I come across something I _do_ understand and I have the opportunity to learn about it, then I want to know everything I can. For me, that's true of both assassinating Koro-Sensei and of life."

Come to think of it, Koro-Sensei said something similar before he left. Maybe this kid wasn't as incompetent as he seemed. "…Fine." However, it too much of a bother for Hiei to explain it to the child himself. Cocking his head, Hiei added, "Yusuke, you explain."

"Me?" Yusuke asked, surprised.

"You're the 'Ex-Spirit Detective, demon hunter extraordinaire,'" Hiei mocked.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Argh, fine…

"Basically the Spirit Realm is where the souls of the dead go to be judged. Depending on your sins, Koenma will determine if you go to heaven or hell. The Demon Realm, on the other hand, is like the Human Realm, except filled with demons-What are you doing?"

Nagisa was scribbling furiously in his notebook. "Don't mind me, continue."

"…Whatever! As per recent events, the ruler of the Demon Realm is determined by whoever wins a world-wide fighting tournament. Every three years, another tournament is held to determine the next ruler. And that's pretty much it. Demons can come and go between the Realms, but the Demon Realm has rules in place to ensure they don't cause problems."

After a pause, Nagisa shook his head with a smile. "Amazing. It all sounds so unreal."

Hiei grunted. " _That_ sounds unreal, and yet you have an octopus for a teacher who can move at mach-20 and blow up moons."

"…"

"Now," Hiei continued. "Time to see these weaknesses…" To Hiei's aggravation, Yusuke and Kurama peered over his shoulders. Nagisa walked up in front of Hiei and looked down, settling for reading upside-down.

 _#1: He messes up when he shows off._

 _#2: Panics easily_

 _#3: Sore loser_

 _#4: Weak punches_

Not even five seconds later, Hiei looked up and whined, "None of these are helpful. They're more like a list of things you can mock him about rather than a list of his weaknesses."

Nagisa laughed. "He has many different sides to him, so naturally the list would reflect that."

 _#5: Boobs_

Yusuke burst out laughing in Hiei's ear. Hiei side glanced at Kurama as though asking for permission to say something. Eye twitching, Kurama ordered, " _No._ "

Hiei ignored him and mumbled, "I thought that was Yusuke's weakness…"

"Ha, ha-HEY!"

 _#6: Kissing up to his boss_

 _#7: Wire puzzles induce panic in him_

 _#8: He gets motion sick_

 _#9: He can't sleep without his pillow_

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head. "…Suddenly I think a lot less of him now…"

"He can be pretty weird…" Nagisa admitted.

 _#10: Doesn't want to damage his reputation_

 _#11: Can't handle hot food_

 _#12: He gets soggy_

 _#13: Gossipmongering_

 _#14: Corny movies make him cry_

Hiei leaned back and closed the book. "…This wasn't helpful at all. We paid a high price for little information." Going for his sword again, Hiei glowered, "Tell us more or-"

"Okay, okay," Nagisa said, holding up his hands. Sweat trickled down his face as he said, "You three really are something else…" Letting out a sigh, Nagisa rubbed his chin. "Let's see… I guess I'll explain some more rules about killing him.

"You can only kill him using the rubber weapons we used during the game earlier. Well, they don't have to be weapons, it's the material itself that he's weak to. Don't even think of trying to kill him with normal weapons, believe me, it's been tried before. Also, Koro-Sensei gets really angry if you try to kill him during class, so it's best to try during recess. But he'll usually fly to a different country at mach-20 to buy a snack..."

Standing up, Yusuke complained, "Argh, that sounds like a pain. I'll kill him after school hours."

Nagisa shrugged. "You can try. But he'll probably be expecting it." Pounding his fist into his hand, Nagisa said, "Oh! I almost forgot. Anyone who kills him gets ten billion yen from the Ministry of Defense!"

Yusuke screeched, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Why wouldn't Botan tell us that?! I'm going to assassinate _her_ when I get back!"

Kurama laughed. "I get the feeling that giving a minor ten billion yen wouldn't help Japan's national debt…"

Nagisa continued, "But what's really interesting about Koro-Sensei is how his face changed color like a chameleon depending on his mood, and…"

Hiei ignored their chatter, opting to open the notebook again and skim the list. One of the weaknesses in particular caught his eye. _To think that would be a weakness of such a monster… Heh._ Hiei threw the book aside, an evil grin on his face. "Yusuke, Kurama. I believe I have a new assassination plan."

* * *

As per Hiei's request, Nagisa convinced all the students to come to school to the next day an hour earlier than normal. When they arrived, they were groggy and cranky from having to wake up so early. Some of them shot death glares at Hiei. Like Hiei cared how annoyed they were. Hiei and the others had to stay in the storage shed last night, where he didn't get any sleep because of Yusuke's obnoxious snoring. Yet _they_ were angry? _Suck it up,_ Hiei thought. _This is to kill Koro-Sensei._

"All right, listen." Hiei was standing behind Koro-Sensei's desk, addressing the seated students as though _he_ was their teacher. "As much as I despise asking for help or relying on others, I need you to hand over all the rubber weapons and material you have."

"Why should we?" questioned a rebellious redhead.

"Yeah," agreed another punk. His hair was shaven at the nape of his neck. "You're the new student here, just another loser. We don't have to listen to a word you say."

Nagisa was quick to back Hiei. "But it's for a really good plan. Even if it doesn't kill him, I think it'll at least damage Koro-Sensei a lot."

"Keh, that's what anyone would say."

Sighing, Yusuke said, "Look, Hiei, I told you this was a waste of time. These guys don't respect us. They clearly are sick of other assassins trying to do their job for them. The only thing they want is for the week to pass so we can leave. We'll just find all the rubber we can on our own and-"

"NO!" Clenching his fists, Hiei roared, "I refuse to work with those who won't even acknowledge my power. If they were stronger than me, then maybe, but they haven't killed Koro-Sensei in two entire months! We, meanwhile, are here to kill him within a week. I believe that deserves respect, and these snot nosed brats should be giving it to us.

"You say you're assassins who'll give anything to kill Koro-Sensei? Please. I've been in countless battles ever since I was born, fighting in a world where it was kill or be killed. Every day I wondered what demon would try to kill me tomorrow. I survived through-no-I conquered that living hellhole. Yusuke and Kurama have overcome similar difficulties. Yet you brats, who probably haven't even ever seen a drop of blood, dare to think you're superior?! An assassin is one who puts his life on the line to complete his job, yet you can't even bring yourselves to go out on a limb and work with me on an assassination plan that'll go perfectly." Hiei pulled out his sword and slammed the point into Koro-Sensei's desk. "None of you have the right to claim the title 'assassin'!"

Silence.

"And," Hiei continued. "…If I can't wound Koro-Sensei today and my plan fails on top of that… then try assassinating me instead. It'd be better to die than to be associated with bitches like you. Not that any of you could ever kill me." Hiei walked to the back of the room, leaned up against the wall, and closed his eyes.

The students still remained quiet. The only sound in the room was their breathing and nervous shuffling. No one had the courage to defend themselves.

 _Pathetic. I wasted my time reaching out to these bastards because Koro-Sensei said I have to become a true student here to kill him._ Gritting his teeth, Hiei thought, _Some joke that turned out to be._

Suddenly, someone tapped Hiei on the shoulder. He opened one eye to see the smartass redhead from earlier was handing three rubber knives to him. "You better make this count, chibi."

Hiei blinked. "What…?"

Every student began passing down their rubber weapons to the back row. A slow smile grew on Nagisa's face as he blinked tears from his eyes. "E-Everyone…"

A green haired girl gushed, "If Nagisa says your plan will work, then how could I doubt that?"

"You're on! The tension in this room feels like the last inning of a tied baseball game. It's awesome!" cried a black haired boy, giving Hiei a thumbs up.

"This class can't function as individuals, we have to work as a team! Compounds can be far deadlier than a single element!"

"Keh, this had better mean we'll get a share of the ten billion. It's _our_ rubber weapons."

Some strange contraption next to Hiei showed a girl on screen smiling at him as countless rubber guns materialized from a slot in the machine. "With this much anti-Koro-Sensei material gathered, I anticipate a fifty-fifty success rate! How wonderful!"

Hiei's eye twitched. "What the hell are you?"

Lastly, Nagisa tossed some knives and guns at Hiei's feet. "Let's show him that when the assassination classroom works together, not even Koro-Sensei can slither away uninjured, mach-20 or otherwise!"

Hiei was stunned. This was a complete turn-around. _This strange sense of kinship I'm feeling… Is this what he meant by a true student?_ Hiei shook his head, smiling. _Heh, absurd._

All of the students (aside from Hiei, of course), Yusuke, and Kurama stood up, threw their fists in the air, and yelled, "YEAHHH!"

Koro-Sensei walked in. Everyone sat down immediately, completely silent. Hiei took his trademark black coat off and threw it over the pile of rubber weapons so Koro-Sensei wouldn't notice. Koro-Sensei stared at everyone's evil smiles for several seconds before looking down.

"…Why is there a sword stuck in my desk?"

* * *

Class was borderline painful for Hiei that day. Not only because his plan was to take place right after closing hours, but also because, well, it was SCHOOL.

Koro-Sensei was teaching history class, and as usual, Hiei was only half paying attention and half trying to fall asleep."…And Ōkubo-sama was assassinated May 14th, 1878 by a group of revolutionaries. What do you make of that, Hiei?"

Hiei opened his eyes to see Koro-Sensei was staring at him expectantly. "I think you're going to wind up like him."

"…Maybe I should be more specific. Why do you think the revolutionaries wanted him dead?"

"Because you blew up the moon."

"I mean why do you think they wanted to kill ŌKUBO-SAMA, not me?"

"What I think is irrelevant because you're going to die."

The class was laughing hysterically at this pathetic back and forth argument. Angry and red faced, Koro-Sensei declared, "That brings us to our psychology lesson for the day; logic loops. If you want an example, class, then try talking to Hiei." That only made the students laugh harder. Hiei didn't care. _In the end,_ he thought. _I'll be the one laughing the most… over your corpse, that is._

* * *

"M-M-M-Mr. Asano, what are you doing here?!"

Seeing Koro-Sensei's face made it all worth it, asking those brats for help. Asano, the principal of the school, leaned up against the wall farthest from the classroom door and glanced out the window at the students leaving the building. "I received some rather disturbing reports about your students… Please, Koro-Sensei. Don't pretend you didn't notice. It'd make our jobs easier."

Hiei was crouching behind Koro-Sensei's desk, a sniper rifle custom made by that machine named 'Ritsu' in hand. Taking aim, Hiei waited for the perfect moment.

Koro-Sensei stuttered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about! Everyone here is happy as a clam, and as cooperative as a.. uh… GASHFRICKINWINGA!"

That last part was because Hiei sniped Koro-Sensei. Of course, Hiei had taken into account that he'd notice and dodge to the right, but… Hiei dropped the special B.B.'s on select spots on the floor, so he stepped on it and singed his tentacles. There was nowhere Koro-Sensei could hide as Hiei toyed with him in front of the person Koro-Sensei feared most. Hiei called this method of assassination… 'Methodical Torture.'

Asano raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe I've ever heard of such a word before, but then again…" He shook his head. "…my complete lack of faith of the intelligence of the Class E students, and their teacher, is hard to put into words." Turning to Koro-Sensei, Asano informed, "If you truly don't know their most recent blunders, then allow me to enlighten you, Koro-Sensei. Many of your Class E students have gone up to the main building and harassed my students during their lunch and recess break. They're spray-painting the walls, TP-ing the grounds, and one even threw eggs at the roof. But the moment someone notices them, they run away, only to return ten minutes later and perform the same stunt somewhere else. It feels as though they're fighting guerrilla warfare at my school. And that is simply _not_ acceptable."

"W-Well I must say- OWWW!"

Hiei stifled a chuckle. Instead of heading for home like normal, the students positioned themselves out the window, armed with their own guns. Koro-Sensei was under the impression that his students only had close ranged weapons, but Hiei had Ritsu make several sniper guns for the other students. So the students were hiding in some of the trees. Shooting through the open window, they could trip up Koro-Sensei and make him step on as much rubber as they wanted. When caught off-guard, Koro-Sensei was just like any other target.

Asano was starting to lose his patience. "Are you mocking me?"

"Never!" Hiei heard Koro-Sensei mutter, "Not to your face anyway…" As punishment, Hiei shot at Koro-Sensei again, forcing him to sidestep. Turning to his desk, Koro-Sensei noticed Hiei kneeling behind it. His eyes widened. Hiei merely smiled evilly.

 _What are you going to do, Koro-Sensei?_ Hiei challenged silently. _I have all of your escape routes rigged. You're never getting out of here._

Growing annoyed, Koro-Sensei stood still as he answered Asano. "No, but it seems my students are mocking _me._ " When Hiei sniped Koro-Sensei again as an experiment, Koro-Sensei used one his tentacles and grabbed a cloth, which he used to catch Hiei's bullet before it could hit him.

Hiei remembered what Kurama said. _"…even in the event that he hasn't been a teacher for very long, he's been at this level of power long enough to utilize it perfectly."_ _Keh,_ Hiei thought. _I should have guessed that he would do something like that again._

Asano lowered his head slightly as he said, "I hope you remember my Worker Ant Theory? If there is no scapegoat, my other students won't work as hard. I need other students to see Class E as nothings, the worst thing imaginable. The more they're mocked, taunted, and put down, the higher my other students rise. They'll work harder to not become that in which they despise. If Class E gets enough of an ego to perform stunts like this, then my theory will fall apart, and my school will descend in to chaos. All my other students have a future… because they're not in Class E. Don't ruin that for them."

 _What the hell is with this guy? His arrogance is pissing me off._

Koro-Sensei regarded Asano. A few moments passed before he said, "…I'll make sure my students don't harass yours anymore."

Smiling an insincere smile, Asano chirped, "I'm glad to hear it." He held out his hand for Koro-Sensei to shake. "Let's make sure the best students of Kunugigaoka Junior High shine as brightly as they can. That is… my students. GRAHH, DAMN IT!"

Fed up with his audacity, Hiei had shot Asano in the eye. Even if the bullets couldn't harm humans normally, anything can cause harm when shot into someone's eyeball.

"M-Mr. Asano?! Are you all right?"

"SHUT UP!" Asano waved Koro-Sensei away as he held his eye. "I mean… just get your students in line. If they so much as walk up to the main building again without special permission…"

"I understand."

"Grrrrgh…" Asano stormed out of the room, still holding his eye.

Several seconds passed before Koro-Sensei said, "All right, Hiei, come out. I know you're there."

Hiei stood up, throwing his sniper rifle onto Koro-Sense's desk, knocking over several things in the process. "Enjoy your chat with Principal, Koro-Sensei?" Hiei smiled. "I look forward to hearing about your salary assessment."

"That's… none of your business," Koro-Sensei responded. "About what you did here…"

Annoyed, Hiei threw his head back, waiting for a long monotonous lecture. After the last one, Hiei wasn't sure how much he could stand.

"…It was great."

"What?!"

Koro-Sensei closed the window as several more bullets went flying at him. A red circle lit up his face as he turned back to Hiei. "No, truly. You did exactly as I said by looking at the full picture. You employed the help of several students outside and laid the ground with B.B's. You had set up the perfect room of assassination, and now you just needed to ensure I'd stay inside it. So what did you do? You brought in my boss! None of my other students would have the gumption to go over my head like that. Or the gumption to… snipe him…"

Hiei looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ha! Neither do I. Slip of the tongue." Hiei found himself wondering if Koro-Sensei _had_ a tongue. A blue X covering his face, Koro-Sensei lectured, "There's just two things…" His voice gaining a dangerous edge, Koro-Sensei demanded, "Number one, never force my students to harass the main building, other students, or anyone else for that matter. Number two, you worked hard to make yourself a true student here by working together with everyone, but your lack of experience is why you ultimately failed." Looking down at his tentacles, Koro-Sensei remarked, "Sure, you managed to hurt me, something very few students have accomplished, let alone on their second day here, but sniping me and lining the floor with rubber are both things my students have done before on other occasions. Skill and talent are important, but without practice and experience, they're nothing."

Hiei sighed, a little disappointed. Putting his hand in his pocket, Hiei shook his head. "Well, damn it. I'll kill you next time."

Koro-Sensei started to walk out the door. At the last second, he stopped at under the door frame and turned to Hiei. He said, "Hiei, I-"

What Koro-Sensei was about to say, no one would ever know. Hiei pulled out a remote control switch from his pocket and pressed it, screaming, "DIE!"

A wall of pure rubber erupted from the top of the doorframe, slamming down onto Koro-Sensei faster than the eye could see.

Using his flames, Hiei had melted down all the rubber the students gave him to form a wall of rubber. Then, with his sword, he cut out the top of the normal doorframe and the wall above it, creating a narrow hole. He slid his rubber wall into it. Finally, with Ritsu's and Kurama's help, Hiei created a device that at the press of a button would launch the rubber wall down with all the force of a truck. Upon testing, the speed the wall would fall… was mach-10. He'd have to thank Ritsu later for helping to make it so fast.

As for calling in Asano by making the other Class E students perform ridiculous pranks, that was nothing more than a distraction. Once his classes were over for the day, Koro-Sensei would naturally be wary of students trying to assassinate him. With that wariness, his reflexes would be heightened, and he'd dodge the door, mach-10 or no. But once the fake assassination attempts during Asano's lecture were finished, Koro-Sensei would naturally assume his students were done trying to kill him for the day. And it was that assumption that would cost him his life.

This was the work of futureless 'nothings'. This was the work of Class E.

Hiei didn't even bother to check for a corpse. He turned around and looked out the window. _Guess he wasn't as impossible to kill as everyone said…_

Koro-Sensei's strained voice said, "…Splendid, Hiei… Splendid." Hiei turned, shocked beyond words. A strange thin material was tied to the sides of the doorframe, holding the rubber wall in place. Koro-Sensei was holding up the material with his tentacles, bent over slightly as to not hit his head on the rubber. "Once a month I shed my skin. Again, if you had the experience of my other students, you'd know that it's my ace in the hole. In fact, I'd say it's the main reason other students haven't been able to kill me yet!" Hiei said nothing, a mixture of disappointment and respect coursing through him.

Koro-Sensei bowed out of the room, carefully avoiding the rubber wall. "As of the end of today, you only have four more days before I destroy the world... I look forward to your next assassination attempt. "

Hiei would have been pretty dissatisfied by the whole situation… if something didn't catch his eye, that is. Just as Koro-Sensei left, Hiei noticed that he was _sweating._ Bullets. He must have barely avoided that trap, to the point where he was truly terrified. Pride swelling through Hiei, he grabbed his sniper rifle off of Koro-Sensei's desk. As Koro-Sensei suggested, maybe it was time to study up on his opponent more.

After all, a little more experience, and he would have won.


	5. Episode 5: Settling In

Episode Five: Settling In

Kuwabara was having a bad week. Urameshi was off god knows where, slaughtering middle schoolers who blew up the moon during a hissy fit (okay, so maybe Kuwabara forgot some of the details), and HE had to pick up the pieces.

After finding Koenma's Sacred PJ's by going on an amazing journey spanning the universe and ending on a planet light-years away called planet Damn It (or was that Namek?), Koenma was so grateful that he paid Kuwabara 1,000,000,000 Yen and promoted him to be Yama the Great, but the best part was when Yukina asked his hand in marriage. It was the best moment of his life. …Okay, none of that was true, but Kuwabara _wished_ that's what happened. It certainly was a lot better than having to go through this stupid charade.

"Yusuke-san," Yukina called as she slid the door open, the sunlight catching her gorgeous hair and illuminating her beautiful face. "Where's Kazuma-san?"

Kuwabara's mood immediately perked up. "Y-Yukina-san!" he sang.

Kuwabara was spending the week at Genkai's place because he wanted to train after losing to Yusuke at the train station. Yukina lived there with Genkai, so it was no surprise she was there too. But today, Genkai had invited Botan and Keiko over, meaning that Kuwabara would have to work over-time pretending to be Yusuke.

The first time Kuwabara, still looking like Yusuke, stepped into Genkai's temple, Genkai immediately saw through the disguise and realized the "Yusuke" was Kuwabara. Despite knowing this, Genkai declared to the girls that she had invited Kuwabara to her house as well. Of course, Kuwabara, as Keiko and Yukina knew him, wasn't going to come-he was too busy camouflaging as Yusuke. When Kuwabara yelled at Genkai for her deception, she had only replied, "Think of it as mental training to see if you can keep up this ridiculous charade."

Yukina looked over her shoulder outside, her brow furrowing slightly. Adorable. "It's been over an hour since we invited him. I'm worried he won't show up…"

Kuwabara took Yukina's hands in his and said romantically, "Don't worry. I'll always be there for you."

"Um…"

Yusuke's words haunted Kuwabara. _"I hope you realize you can't flirt with Yukina. If you do, Keiko will think I'm cheating on her."_ Remembering this, Kuwabara let go of Yukina's hands. It was excruciatingly painful for him, but it had to be done. If he didn't, Kuwabara's manliness and touching pick-up lines would surely cause Yukina to fall for Yusuke instead of him. "U-U-Uh," Kuwabara stuttered. "I mean, I'll always show up if you invite me, so don't worry about that."

Yukina smiled, melting Kuwabara's heart. "That's good to hear. I think Kazuma-san feels the same way. Maybe he was busy and couldn't come."

"I'm sure that whatever he's doing, he has your best interests at heart."

"Oh, for God's sake." Genkai was standing in the doorway, holding a tea tray. "No, Yusuke, I'm sure Kuwabara forgot he was invited because he's such a hopeless idiot."

Raising his fist, Kuwabara demanded, "What was that, Grandma?!"

"Yusuke! Don't threaten Genkai-san!" Keiko entered with a basket on her arm. Judging from the wonderful smell drifting from it, she must have brought food.

 _Uh oh,_ Kuwabara thought. _Keiko's here. What would Yusuke say to greet her?_ He glanced over at Genkai for advice, but she had set down the tea tray and started sipping away from her cup, paying him no mind. In a panic, Kuwabara blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Well, it's better to threaten the elderly than you!"

Silence. Keiko gaped at Kuwabara, dumbfounded. Yukina looked between Kuwabara and Keiko quickly and repeatedly, as though she were watching an intense game of ping-pong. Again, Kuwabara slowly turned to look at Genkai for a word of advice, but she had turned her head and was staring at the wall, as if to say "I don't know that man".

Thankfully, Botan broke the silence as she popped in. "Yoo-hoo! What's-Whoa. The tension in here's so think it's like someone's grandma was punched, err, no offense." Botan looked at Genkai meaningfully.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Genkai put her cup down. "Let's just start eating dinner already."

* * *

"You said WHAT?! Kuwabara, you freaking dumbass!"

Yusuke was talking to Kuwabara on the phone, his 'daily checkup', he called it. Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke had all traveled back to the storage shed for the day after Hiei's failure, disappointed. The trio had talked about ways to kill Koro-Sensei for a while, and by the time they gave up, it was already dark outside. Everyone on the premises was long gone, including their target. The three of them decided to put Koro-Sensei aside and sleep on the new futon mats he bought for them on a trip to a super market in Kyoto. Everyone hit the sack a half hour earlier, enough time for them to have fallen asleep.

 _At least it would have been,_ Kurama thought with a frown as he rolled over onto his side _…if Yusuke wasn't being so loud._ Kurama was beginning to regret ever suggesting the idea of using a body double seed. Though Kurama knew Hiei was awake, Hiei was silent and still on his futon, no doubt contemplating various ways to murder Yusuke in his sleep for being so noisy.

"If you keep screwing up, then they'll realize I'm gone!" Yusuke continued, completely obvious to Kurama's and Hiei's mounting annoyance. "…Hey, you're the one who lost to me…! All right, whatever. Just don't try Rei-gunning that old hag again… What in the _world_ was going on over there?! Yeah, yeah. I'll check in tomorrow."

Yusuke hung up his phone and plopped himself down on the futon mat Koro-Sensei bought for him. He let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Come up with any new plans?" Kurama asked dryly, trying to lighten the dreary mood. Sleep, after all, was a hard thing to come by and shouldn't be counted upon to arrive anytime soon.

Yusuke looked up, startled. "Well… no. It's not the easiest thing to do."

Kurama nodded. After examining hundreds of different seeds he could use, Kurama decided most of them would be completely useless. Contemplating the thousands of strategies from combining the seeds had given him a headache. He had stopped halfway. "What do you make of Hiei's loss?" Kurama asked Yusuke.

Looking up at the ceiling, Yusuke responded, "What do you want me to say? It sucks that he failed, but I can't say I'm surprised." Kurama noticed the temperature of the room increased by a few degrees, but Yusuke plowed on, unaware. "Just look at the guy. Koro-Sensei is the kinda enemy who won't reveal his cards until after he puts them into play. I mean, shedding his skin? Come on! Who the hell would have thought of that?"

Kurama was a little disappointed that Hiei failed too, but something unquestionably good did come of Hiei's failure. The students had started to respect the three of them. No more pit traps, taunts, or anything else nefarious. In fact, Nagisa had even stopped by before he left to give them blankets that the entire class sewed made. Apparently, Koro-Sensei informed the students of their sleeping arrangements, and they must have felt bad about the way they treated Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke, so they made the blankets as a peace offering. Karma had made Hiei's personally; it was bright pink and covered in hearts. To no one's surprise, Hiei had burned it to pieces and elected to sleep without a blanket. Not that he was sleeping, thanks to Yusuke.

Awkwardly, Yusuke decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. "Look… Kurama, I wasn't really thinking about your mom, step-dad, or your step-brother when I said I'd let Koro-Sensei destroy the world. I'm… sorry I didn't tell you about the bet before you agreed to help."

As upset as he was over Yusuke's proposition to let Koro-Sensei destroy the world, the proposition had provided Kurama plenty of motivation when it came to coming up with different plans and techniques. Otherwise he might have just said, 'It's not possible, the Human Realm won't get out of this one.' But now they were all stuck in this situation, whether they liked it or not.

"I understand why you did it," Kurama responded emotionlessly, noting that Yusuke had apologized for not _mentioning_ the bet to him instead of _making_ it in the first place. "I just wish you didn't neglect me by not…" Kurama's eyes widened. _That's it!_

"Well, you know me!" Yusuke crowed, thinking that Kurama had forgiven him-which he _hadn't_. "I don't think before I act, and I get scolded by Keiko for it all the time. Honestly she's more of a mom than-what are you doing?"

Kurama was madly digging around in a backpack he brought with him. "I'm searching for something. Where did I… Nngh." Frustrated, Kurama dumped the bag upside down, emptying seeds all over the floor.

Whistling, Yusuke picked up one and looked at it. "Wow, you sure went overkill huh? Why'd you bring so many?"

Frantically, Kurama picked up different seeds and examined them, only to throw them back on the ground. "Never underestimate an opponent, especially the less you know about him…"

"Yeah, I guess… Er, since you're talking to me now, can I assume we're cool?"

Honestly, Kurama didn't know. Putting the question aside, Kurama continued his search. "…Ah, here it is!" Kurama held up a dark purple seed for Yusuke to see. "This may be just what we need to kill Koro-Sensei."

Examining it, Yusuke asked, "This little thing? What is it?"

Kurama grinned evilly. "You'll see."

* * *

That night, Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke slept with relative comfort. Not only because the futon mats were a definite improvement over the hard, cold floor, but also because of the confidence they had in Kurama's new plan. The trio headed off the class, but they spent so much time finalizing details that they were late.

"Being late on your third day of school doesn't look very good," Koro-Sensei lectured as they walked through the door.

Kurama smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I am the one to blame. I held Yusuke and Hiei up because we were busy picking flowers. We're only going to stay a week here, so we were afraid we would never get the opportunity to behold their beauty again."

"Speak for yourself," Hiei scoffed. Yusuke nudged him with an elbow.

If Koro-Sensei had an eyebrows to raise, he'd have raised it. "Oh? What sort of flowers?"

Kurama pulled out a potted plant that held dark purple flowers with large, bulbous buds. "These."

A girl with a ponytail in her hair who was seated near the front of the class squealed, "AWWW! They're so cute!"

Karma scratched his head. "What the heck kinda flower is that?"

"Who cares?" the girl in the front countered. "It's cute."

A girl with glasses nodded. "Agreed! I should get some for myself!"

Ritsu called from the back, "I could create some if you'd like!"

"Really?!"

Ignoring them, Kurama pressed, "Why don't I put them in the window during class to get sunlight? They seem pretty popular with the students, and I could leave it there during my stay here, if you'd like."

Koro-Sensei's face lined with green and yellow stripes. "This wouldn't happen to be related to assassinating me would it?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Kurama laughed with such ease it was incredible. "Flowers? Of course not. How could a flower kill anyone? Even if it was a dangerous plant that gave off toxic spores or something of the sort, I would never bring that into a classroom and risk placing the other students in danger."

"…Good point. But I still don't trust you. Put it in the window yourself."

Kurama suppressed a smile as he glanced at Yusuke and Hiei before winking. Everything was going just as they planned. "All right, I will. Thank you for having the students make us those blankets, by the way."

"What?" Koro-Sensei asked, feigning ignorance. "Who said _I_ asked them?" Kurama smiled and shook his head. Even if Kurama was in the good graces of all his teachers, not of them would go so far as Koro-Sensei had to ask his students to help make sure Kurama was comfortable.

After gently placing the flowers in the window sill, Kurama sat down in the back row, and Hiei and Yusuke followed suit. Several students stood up and looked at the plant.

Nagisa moved his head this way and that, trying to see it from all angles. "It's pretty strange. Where'd you get it?"

"At the bottom of the mountain here, there's a forest nearby. Within it, I discovered a field of flowers. They were located in the center. It's quite a hike." It was a lie, but by claiming they were in a place that was so hard to reach, Kurama doubted anyone would check to see if he was right.

The black haired student that Yusuke had labeled as Sugino picked up a leaf. "The other flowers of the class we have to take turns watering. Is that true of this one, Koro-Sensei?"

His face red with annoyance, Koro-Sensei answered, "We'll discuss that at a later date. For now, class is in session and we need to focus. Everyone return to your seats, I have a special assignment today." Everyone shuffled about as they returned to their seats. "Now," Koro-Sensei began. "It may be a little early, but I believe it's time for you to start thinking about your futures. Planning on assassinating me and making it big is great! But like I once said, without a backup plan, you may regret it later."

"So, what," Karma asked, "now we have to write a three page essay on what we want to be and why?"

A blue X showed up on Koro-Sensei's face. "Nope! This is much simpler." Koro-Sensei flew across the room, placing a paper on each student's desk at mach-20. Returning to the head of the classroom, Koro-Sensei explained, "I have provided you a sheet of the thirty most common jobs. I would like for you to either pick one to three that you have an interest in, or if what you want isn't there, then please write in the space below the other jobs you'd prefer."

Hiei muttered as he glanced down at his sheet, "I think I know why he's doing this…"

"Oh?" Kurama inquired as he turned to look at Hiei. "Why would that be?"

"When the man named Principal was here, he claimed Class E was futureless and reminded Koro-Sensei of their apparent position: the bottom of the food chain. They're all prey for the students who really matter in Principal's eyes."

"I… see," frowned Kurama.

"Koro-Sensei must want to assure his students and himself that his students have a future."

Surprised, Kurama thought, _Koro-Sensei cares enough about his students that he would go against his boss?_ Turning to face forward, Kurama watched the students read over the papers. _And he cares enough about their futures, not just their grades, that he would make contemplating it an actual class assignment?_ In all of his life, Kurama had never met a teacher as considerate as Koro-Sensei appeared to be.

"All right," Koro-Sensei beamed. "You have until this period ends. Take your time and don't worry. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!"

The sounds of students taking out pencils and wrinkling the paper echoed throughout the classroom. Kurama regarded his sheet with a curious interest, reading the jobs aloud to himself. "Astronaut, Bureaucrat, Construction Worker, Doctor, Electrician, Fireman… Gardener? …Koro-Sensei's Personal Slave, Lawyer, Mangaka… wait, slave?!"

Kurama casually listened to the classroom chatter. A girl with glasses declared, "I'm going to put chemist!"

Sugino chirped, "I bet Yukiko is going to put down social-worker, right?"

A girl with long black hair blushed slightly as she smiled. "That's right!"

Karma laughed. "She'd better, since I heard she gave her dad the finger when he told her to become a lawyer."

"What, no way!"

"Keh, what the hell are you gonna put down, Ritsu?" asked a student with shaved hair around the nape of his neck. He was one of the ones who gave Hiei a hard time. "You're a computer!"

"Actually," Ritsu said happily. "I was created as a test for a new weapon of war, so I hope to become the first of a line of Autonomous Intelligence Fixed Artillery weapons! I want my specs to end war quicker and take less lives in the process!"

A girl with green hair turned to Nagisa. "What are you going to put down, Nagisa?"

"Hmmm…" Cleverly dodging the question, Nagisa turned to Yusuke. "How about you, Yusuke?"

"How should I know?" Yusuke rubbed his temples. "What the hell am I supposed to put?"

Kurama looked up from his paper, a little surprised. "You've done this before in high school, right? I have too." The assignment was given to the students because the teachers were required to do so, not because they card. Kurama explained to Yusuke, "Just put what you did before."

Yusuke waved his hand dismissively. "I skipped class that day to avoid doing this!"

"…Then why don't you use the space he left for different jobs and write something that you want more than anything? Dreams and futures don't necessarily have to be tied to a career," Kurama answered. Raising his voice, Kurama called, "Koro-Sensei, is that acceptable?"

Koro-Sensei seemed to be in the middle of enjoying a coconut (where in the world did that come from?). "Hmm? Yes, that would be fine! Anyone who's having trouble may do that if they wish. In fact, I encourage it!"

"Ah, then that's easy!" Yusuke scribbled something down with a smile on his face."I should have thought of that…"

Suppressing a smirk, Hiei chided, "You wrote 'Keiko's husband', didn't you?"

His face turned bright red as Yusuke tried to hide his sheet from the rest of the class. He sputtered, "W-W-What would make you think I wrote such a s-s-stupid thing like t-that?!"

Kurama laughed. "He wrote it."

Hiei nodded. "He wrote it."

Nagisa chimed in, "He wrote it."

"S-Shut up! How do you even know who Keiko is?! Hey! What are you writing down?!"

Koro-Sensei was writing in a notebook with a devilish smile. "What? Nothing."

"You really DO have a weakness for gossip, you bastard!"

"Nururufufufu …"

Pissed, Yusuke turned to Kurama. "Keh, yeah well, what are YOU going to write down?!"

Kurama admitted, "I'm not completely sure, but…" He looked down at the words he had written on his sheet. "…I'd like to become a sort of mediator between the Human and Demon Realms, similar to how you were a Spirit Detective. The peace between the two Realms is both new and fascinating, so I'd like to be involved in some way."

"Yeah, but you know," Yusuke interjected, "…I doubt Koro-Sensei would accept that. He doesn't even know about the Demon Realm; he's only ever mentioned the Spirit Realm because they were tailing him. He'd probably think you're just pulling something out of your ass if you started talking about the Demon Realm."

"…Good point." _I should have realized that earlier._

Turning to Hiei, Yusuke asked, "What about-Grah!" Yusuke narrowly dodged a paper airplane that would have nailed him in the eye. "What was that for?!"

Hiei looked away. "That's my job sheet. I just disposed of it, and you happened to be in the way."

Koro-Sensei took the airplane from Yusuke's hand by extending a tentacle. "…Hiei, this is blank! If you don't fill it out, I'm afraid I'll have to give you a zero."

Hiei threw back his head and laughed. "I'm only staying here for this week. Plus, I'm a demon. Why should I bother? What possible punishment could you give me that would make me feel obligated to fill out your ridiculous piece of paper?"

"…"

Kurama found himself smiling. It seemed like the three of them were finally fitting into Class E. And Koro-Sensei was an amazing teacher. On their first day, he helped them learn about looking at the full picture when assassinating him, and it was obvious his students' wellbeing was always at the forefront of his mind. Furthermore, concerned about Class E not living up to its potential in the future and about the Asano's views of the class, he decided to force them to plan ahead by disguising his worries as a class assignment. It would be sad when he'd die.

 _No, I can't think like that,_ Kurama thought. Looking down at his own sheet, Kurama silently wondered what he should mark down since Yusuke shot down what he planned on writing. In part, Hiei was right; anything they did here relating to school work would be completely irrelevant. Theoretically, Kurama could write down anything and be done with the assignment. But that didn't sit well with him.

Apparently, Kurama had been mulling over the sheet for longer than he thought, because when he looked up, the other students were getting up and leaving for recess. "Class is over?"

"If you can't come up with anything," Koro-Sensei piped up as he appeared in front of Kurama. "Then you can hold onto it as homework and give it to me at a later date."

Somehow Koro-Sensei seemed a little sad. What Hiei said must have upset him. After all, any teacher who was unable to teach a student because they didn't care would be distressed. "All right," Kurama replied. As he stood up, Kurama began folding the sheet and pocketing it. "Thank y-"

"Ah, you _do_ have something written!" A tentacle claimed the paper out of Kurama's hands. "Let me see, let me see." Excited, Koro-Sensei unfolded the paper and began reading it intently.

"U-Um…" Uneasy, Kurama raised a hand. "You wouldn't understand…"

However, Kurama's words drifted off when he realized Koro-Sensei seemed to be deep in thought. Eventually, Koro-Sensei stated in a serious tone, "You are a demon."

Kurama blinked, surprised by the question and the sudden change in attitude. "Yes I am."

Koro-Sensei glanced at the part of the wall, Hiei claimed was his "desk". "But you seem to be different from Hiei. He has red eyes with different colored hair and a great deal of interest in killing me… and other things in general. But you…"

Kurama smiled, happy that Koro-Sensei paid enough attention to them to notice their differences. "…seem to be more human? That's because I am."

"Really?" Koro-Sensei gasped, surprised and intrigued. "Both human and demon?"

"Yes," Kurama answered. "Originally I was only Yoko Kurama, a kitsune who lived in the Demon Realm." Kurama nodded to the job sheet Koro-Sensei held. "But due to… unforeseen circumstances, I could not live in the Demon Realm any longer. I merged my soul with an unborn human boy, and have since lived my life as a normal human." _For the most part, anyway_ , Kurama added mentally.

"Fascinating!" Koro-Sensei exclaimed.

With a smirk, Kurama explained, "I still complete the various missions that are required of me, such as coming to the classroom to kill you."

Koro-Sensei nodded. "I see, I see."

 _What am I doing?_ Kurama asked himself. _Why am I telling him so much about myself? He could just use that information against me later._ It wasn't because he trusted Koro-Sensei, right?

Examining the paper again, Koro-Sensei asked, his tone going thoughtful, "If you have lived like a human, then do you have a human family?" Kurama nodded. Koro-Sensei remained quiet for a time. After a few moments had passed, Koro-Sensei said, "From what you told me… It seems that you lead two lives. A demon and a human one." Hearing Koro-Sensei's words, Kurama's eyes went wide. He had hit the bull's eye.

"Does your human family know that you are here or what exactly you are doing?"

"…No." Kurama admitted. "They do not."

Koro-Sensei nodded to himself. "Thought so." He held out the paper so that the front of the sheet faced Kurama. He pointed to Kurama's words with a tentacle. "The future you have written here for yourself is very interesting. An ambassador between the Human and Demon Realms. But if your family does not know of your more demon activities, where would that leave them? You have a double life, two parts of the one whole that makes up you." Koro-Sensei gently brought down the paper into Kurama's hands. He said quietly, "Maybe your future, your dreams, should reflect that."

Kurama stared down at the paper in his hands, dumfounded. "I… I never thought of that before…"

"It's just a thought," Koro-Sensei explained, "Of course. It's not my place to tell you how to lead your life. It's just my advice I am giving you, as your teacher."

Kurama looked up at Koro-Sensei and smiled. _He really does care about his students …about me._ And after Koro-Sensei had helped Kurama with such an important thing in his life, it only seemed fair that Kurama reciprocate. Kurama glanced around the classroom, inconspicuously. Kurama found himself smiling a sly smile as though he had confirmed something. _Just as I thought…_ The plan was going beautifully.

"Is something wrong?"

Kurama looked up to see that Koro-Sensei was looking down at him, concerned. "No, thanks for asking," Kurama answered. "Your dedication and concern for your _students_ is something else. It's like you _spend all your time on only them._ "

Koro-Sensei's face blanked to something akin to an emotionless emoticon. "…" He was either confused, or trying to look into the deeper meaning behind Kurama's words.

Kurama walked past Koro-Sensei and paused at the door. _Why did I just give him such a big hint? What am I doing? Even if he helped me, the entire world is at risk. …Oh well._ He smiled. _Hopefully, it shouldn't matter in the end. After all, it's like he stepped into a Territory of mine._ A Territory was an ability that a select few humans gained during an incident involving the Demon Realm. These Territories would bend the rules of reality within a certain radius. Generally, those who were trapped inside a Territory were stuck inside until they managed to outsmart the user while following specific rules. _And if he doesn't figure out the answer to my riddle…_ Kurama looked over his shoulder at Koro-Sensei, who was reading over the sheets his other students filled out earlier. _…Then he'll be neglecting his own safety, and ultimately, his very life._

* * *

Animercom, my sister, added the last conversation between Kurama and Koro-Sensei, though I did edit it and it was my original idea of Kurama wanting to be an ambassador between the Human and Demon Realm. Thanks for reading.


	6. Episode 6: Confusion and Neglect

Episode Six: Confusion and Neglect

Kuwabara wasn't exactly doing his job perfectly.

After getting into a heated argument with Keiko about something inconsequential, Kuwabara pretended to use Yusuke's Rei-Gun and wound up shooting out his Rei-Ken, nearly skewering Genkai in the process. Thankfully, Keiko, Botan, and Yukina were too shocked to realize that what he shot out wasn't Yusuke's Rei-Gun. But even though nothing bad had come of it, Genkai decided to invite Keiko and Botan to stay for the rest of the week as punishment, meaning Kuwabara would have to continue to pretend be to be Yusuke in front of them for even longer. It didn't help that not ten minutes later Botan nagged him about completing the Koro-Sensei assignment or other ones she had piled up for him. Kuwabara blew her off, afraid that he'd be discovered. Naturally, this made Botan pretty annoyed. To top it off, once everyone fell asleep, Kuwabara received a call from Yusuke and was chewed out for making so many mistakes. When the call ended, Genkai, the only one who was still awake, invited Kuwabara into her room for a talk.

"Close the door behind you," she ordered. "We don't want the others to hear us."

Kuwabara obeyed and shut the door. He sat himself down in front of her, sitting on his legs. "Hey, grandma," he said meekly, afraid this would be the start of yet another long lecture. "I'm sorry about almost killing you." When Genkai said nothing, Kuwabara took that as an invitation to continue. "Er… When are we going to start my training?"

Sipping her tea, Genkai replied, "Who said we didn't start already?"

"Eh?"

Genkai set her cup down. "Your powers almost surpass mine. There's little I can teach you in combat. Besides, from what you've told me, I've gathered that the battle techniques you used during your fight with Yusuke were fine. The reason why you lost…" Genkai pointed at Kuwabara's heart. "…was because you are weak mentally."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?! I passed the high school entrance exam, I'll have you know!"

Genkai snorted. "Any idiot can pass those exams." Genkai looked up at the ceiling. "When you're in battle, you let your emotions control you. Sometimes it works in your favor, like when Yukina rooted for you in the Dark Tournament and you destroyed your opponent in seconds." Kuwabara's chest swelled with pride. Never doubt the power of love. "But," Genkai corrected. "Sometimes it works against you. You let yourself get lost in your own anger and lash out uncontrollably during your battle with Yusuke, so you made reckless moves you wouldn't have otherwise. Pulling strength from your feelings a great way to motivate yourself but a poor way to fight if you're ill prepared."

Kuwabara let that sink in. When Yusuke taunted him about not going to the Demon Realm, Kuwabara did lose it. If he hadn't, would that battle have turned out differently? "So… you're saying that my disguise isn't just to cover up for Yusuke, it's also to increase my mental strength?"

Genkai nodded. "Don't think I haven't noticed your unhealthy obsession with Yukina, and because of that-"

Just the mention of Yukina made Kuwabara giddy. Raising his fists in the air, he shouted, "Yukina-san! I swear, Urameshi may have gotten ahead of me by proposing to Keiko, but I too shall soon propose and-!"

"Shut up and listen!" Kuwabara promptly shut his mouth and sat back down. "I believe that if you were placed in a situation where you'd have to restrain yourself from flirting with Yukina, then you'll increase your mental fortitude and get a better grasp over your own emotions."

So Genkai wasn't just being spiteful. "Then…" Kuwabara started.

Genkai crossed her arms and lowered her head Under her hair, an amused smirk grew on her face."I'll try my best to keep Botan and Keiko here so you can continue your training. If you manage to make it to the end of the week without them questioning your identity, then I'll teach you a secret technique, one that Yusuke didn't master since he doesn't wield a Reiki made weapon like yours."

Kuwabara pondered Genkai's offer. A technique that even Yusuke couldn't master because he was such a wuss… The idea made him excited. Standing up, Kuwabara declared, "All right! I, the man, powered by my infinite love of Yukina-san, will-"

The sound of pottery shattering echoed throughout the room. Genkai gasped. Kuwabara turned to see Yukina in the doorway, her hands over her mouth, and shattered tea-wear at her feet. "Y-Yusuke-san…! What about Keiko-san?!" Tears forming in her eyes, Yukina cried, "You're engaged, and yet you're in love with…!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Yukina turned around and ran off crying, glass beads littering the ground behind her.

Kuwabara stood up, a horrible feeling of guilt erupting inside him. "Y-Yukina-san! I-!"

Genkai grabbed his wrist. "Stop you idiot! You're about to let yourself be ruled by your emotions again!"

Kuwabara turned to Genkai. "This isn't about some stupid training anymore! This is about Yukina-san's feelings, and they matter far more to me than my own strength!"

Grasping Kuwabara's wrist tighter, Genkai said darkly, "This doesn't just concern her. Your big mouth just put Yusuke and Keiko's relationship in jeopardy. If you rush into this issue head on, you'll make things worse for everyone. Just let it go, and if you play your cards right, I have faith everything will work out."

Confusion and uncertainty replacing his guilt, Kuwabara stuttered, "G-Grandma…"

Genkai looked away, withdrawing her hand from Kuwabara's wrist. "Or, you can run off and declare you're Kuwabara and that you love Yukina and you want to stay with her, and risk her returning to her homeland in fear. If the tales I've heard about Ice Maidens are true, then if they have a relationship with men, any children they have together are to be executed." Genkai turned to Kuwabara and yelled, "Is that what you want?! You to live together and destroy any chance of her going back to her homeland?!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT!"

Genkai's stare bore holes in Kuwabara's head. "…Then you'd better figure it out and sort out your feelings before your stupidity destroys the lives of those around you."

* * *

Kurama returned to the classroom after recess a little earlier than his classmates. Unsurprisingly, Koro-Sensei was still faithfully reading over the sheets his students wrote. As Kurama stared at Koro-Sensei, Kurama began to feel hollow and dead inside, guilt eating him alive. Hardening his emotions, Kurama walked up to Koro-Sensei. "Oh, Minamino," Koro-Sensei said looked up. "You're here early."

Kurama shrugged. "I wanted to talk to you… Koro-Sensei…" Kurama held out his hand.

"What's this, all of a sudden?"

"Thank you," Kurama smiled. "You're a diligent worker who truly cares about his students, even if your students are assassins trying to kill you. You bought us futon mats with your own money, and you even had the students make us blankets, and my future more despite the fact that we aren't 'real' students and we're only here to kill you. Plus, you've often invaluable advice on my future that I truly appreciate."

"Every single one of my students is a real student, regardless of their reason for being here," Koro-Sensei declared as he wrote a 100% on Yusuke's paper. Afterwards he drew a little octopus making a heart with its tentacles in the top right corner.

Kurama laughed. "Only you could say that and mean it. …Thank you for everything. It's been a pleasure knowing you, and it'll be a shame to see you go."

Koro-Sensei reached out his tentacle and shook Kurama's hand. "It'll be a shame when you're destroyed along with the rest of the world at the end of the week."

"I won't let that happen." Closing his eyes, Kurama recited, " _For those who neglect what's in front of them will be doomed to suffer from eternal hellfire._ "

Suddenly, the plant Kurama placed on the windowsill earlier sprouted to life, its vines encircling the tentacle Kurama was holding. Koro-Sensei struggled against it. "W-What in the world is this?!"

Kurama let go of Koro-Sensei's tentacle as it was completely wrapped up by a vine. With a little sadness in his voice, Kurama explained, "This flower was planted with the Seed of Neglect, a flower from the Demon Realm. It was extracted from the corpse of a D-Class demon who suffered horribly before its death. The Seed of Neglect's natural habitat is on volcanoes, where it feeds on the fumes and lava for nourishment just as much as water. However, what makes the plant especially unique is an odd occurrence when it was planted in a place other than a volcano. The more the Seed of Neglect is ignored or neglected, the more spiritual power the plant possesses. If it isn't watered within approximately twenty hours of planting outside of a volcano, it will mutate into a torture device upon the use of the right key-phrase. I had the idea when I first came to your class and noticed how neglected your other flowers were."

His body almost entirely covered in vines, Koro-Sensei complained, "U-Using plants from another Realm is cheating! It's against the rules!"

Kurama pulled out a gun and casually fired at Koro-Sensei several times, but Koro-Sensei wiggled left and right rapidly and none of them hit. "Rules? There are no rules in the game that is murder."

"Minamino, you…"

"Don't worry," Kurama chided, his eyes growing dark and emotionless. "The first phase of the Seed of Neglect's growth only involves wrapping its vines all over its victim's body and squeezing as hard as possible. It may be very painful, but I know this alone won't kill you. The only way to harm you is through the special rubber, and I don't stand a chance of hitting you with it even when you're rooted to the spot like this. That's why there's even more phases." Kurama pulled out his Rose Whip from his hair. "And until it reaches those phases, I'm going to keep you preoccupied."

Not sure who he was talking to anymore, Kurama stated, "Prepare yourself."

* * *

Things were tense that morning during breakfast. Firstly, Kuwabara had burnt the bread he was going to use for sandwiches, so he declared them toast and served them without butter, making for a dissatisfying meal. Far more importantly, Yukina still seemed very upset, but she spoke nothing of what she heard last night. Keiko and Botan, however, were chatting up a storm.

"What's with the new hairstyle, Yusuke," Botan asked, pointing to Kuwabara's head. It seemed she already forgot that she was angry with Kuwabara for turning down other assignments.

"Yeah," Keiko chimed in. "You actually comb your hair now! Did your mom finally convince you that looking nice was important, or have you been possessed?"

Possession wasn't too far from reality of the situation. In truth, Kuwabara couldn't stand looking too unkempt in polite company, so he combed his hair. "Well," Kuwabara began, gears turning in his head rapidly. "I, uh, wanted to look nice for you," he offered. Yukina winced.

Keiko blinked, looking pleased for a second. But in a flash, her eyes half closed and she let out a sigh as she rested her chin on her fist. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing!"

"You wouldn't talk like that unless you did something. Did you go through my bag to find out my sizes _again_? They haven't changed since last month, you know!"

Genkai sighed. "Yusuke, why don't you just admit that I was the one who made you comb your hair? Flattering Keiko with lies will only get you so far."

That was actually a really good explanation. "Er, yeah, she's right." Keiko shook her head wordlessly, unsurprised. Kuwabara squirmed uncomfortably as he watched Yukina stare at her uneaten food. _I need to say something. I need to set things right before Yukina-san admits to what I said._

Yukina stood up. "I'm sorry everyone, but I'd like to excuse myself for a moment…" She looked as though she were about to cry again.

To prevent her from leaving in tears, Kuwabara stood up and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I love you, Yukina." Keiko's and Botan's jaws dropped. Genkai gave Kuwabara a death glare. Yukina merely shook her head as more tears formed in her eyes.

Turning to look at Genkai, who looked about ready to murder him, Kuwabara declared, "I love you, Grandma." She spat out her tea in complete shock then gasped as though someone was choking her.

Kuwabara turned to Botan. "I love-"

Botan stood up, embarrassed and shaken, and held a hand out to Kuwabara. "Oh no you don't! That's just creepy!"

"Keh. Fine." Kuwabara turned to Keiko, who looked hurt, confused, and utterly bewildered. "I love you too, Keiko. Especially you. I love all you guys, and I couldn't imagine life without a single one of you."

"Y-Yusuke…" Keiko murmured.

Turning to look outside through the open door, Kuwabara said, "Beautiful days like these don't come often, but when they do, they remind you of what's really important. And that's protecting those you love. Sometimes, just admitting your feelings is a form of strength. And being true to those feelings allows you to wield them as your weapon." The wind ruffling his hair, Kuwabara stated, "That's the secret… to true power."

Silence.

All at once, everyone burst out laughing. Botan doubled over and smacked the floor repeatedly. "T-True power? WAHAHA!"

Stuttering, Kuwabara spat, "Hey, don't make fun of me!"

Genkai turned her head and put her hand over her mouth, trying to keep in her laughter. "Yusuke… You truly are… a bonehead. *snort*"

Keiko had tears in her eyes. Wiping them, she said while laughing, "D-Don't worry, Yusuke… I, ha, like what you, ha, ha, said… Pfffft!" She put her hand over her mouth and started laughing hysterically. "You really are possessed!"

"H-Hey…"

Just then, a beautiful laughter echoed throughout the room. It reminded Kuwabara of chimes being teased by the wind on a sunny day. It was Yukina. Kuwabara's eyes widened. "Y-Yukina-san…"

"Yusuke-san," Yukina said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry I misunderstood you! I'm just so glad…!"

Seeing Yukina laughing filled Kuwabara with an indescribable happiness. It was then that his emotions and feelings became perfectly clear. Patting her on the head fondly, he said, "Me too."

As long as he was watching over her from somewhere, and she was smiling all the while, Kuwabara didn't feel the need to confess his love and force her to be with him. At least until he was certain about her feelings for him, her happiness was more than enough.

Her happiness… was his strength. His Rei-Ken.

But unbeknownst to Kuwabara, there was someone out there who was still struggling to come to terms with his emotions…

* * *

By now, Koro-Sensei was completely covered in vines except for his head. The plant had reached its second phase. "O-Ow! Why is it so hot in here?!"

Kurama casually leaned against a desk, tossing the gun in the air and catching it over and over. He explained, "By the second phase, the vines begin to emit heat from the fires of hell, the very lava and fire it has absorbed from the volcanoes. Though the Seed of Neglect may have been planted elsewhere, the lava is passed on in every generation of seeds. When it is neglected, the heat from the lava the previous generations that was stored within the seed is released. The heat is to remind you of how hot the plant has become due to lack of water. It makes you feel its pain."

Just then, the other students entered the room. They all let out a gasp in horror. A green haired girl stuttered, "W-What in the world…?!"

Kurama looked over his shoulder. "Stay back! If you come any closer, the plant will acknowledge you as its enemy."

Koro-Sensei struggled against the vines, but to no avail. "J-Just when were you planning on letting me go…?"

Looking at the ground, Kurama stated, "I already told you that I was going to kill you. Until the plant snuffs the life out of you and I'm there to witness it, you will not be freed from its grasp."

Yusuke, who was with the students, stepped forward. "Kurama, this is insane. You're torturing him, not killing him!"

"…That is the nature of the plant, yes."

Hiei spat, "Really? Because I wasn't informed that the plant was a torture device. Using it sounds like something I would do, but not you, Kurama."

Nagisa pulled out a rubber knife and stared at it. "…Koro-Sensei told us on one of our first days here that he wanted to be killed by a plan we could take pride in. Can you honestly feel proud of a method that causes him so much suffering?"

Karma pulled out a rubber gun. "…I'm not about to let some psychopath murder Koro-Sensei. Koro-Sensei isn't the monster here, Shuichi is."

Kurama dipped his head, his bangs casting his face in shadow. "…"

Koro-Sensei piped up, "Karma, Nagisa, I appreciate the sentiment, but if I die from this method, then I die. The world will be saved. So… as your teacher, the last thing I ask of you is to smile for me as a class, one last time…"

Kurama froze to the spot, unable to believe what he was hearing. _Karma's right. Even if it's for the greater good, by going through with this I'm more of a demon than Koro-Sensei. So…_ "Why?" Kurama was shaking. Turning to Koro-Sensei, he yelled, "Why are you okay with this?! I'm torturing you! I'm putting you through hell! Why can you still smile, even after all I've done to you?!"

"…Because you are my student," Koro-Sensei explained as his face was covered in vines. "And this is a plan you put a lot of thought into, and I'm proud one of my students came up with it."

The entire classroom was filled with silence.

 _Yes, of course… I am one of his students that he loves. That's why he'll…_ Kurama gripped his Rose Whip and looked down to the ground, speaking to everyone and no one at the same time. "…The Seed of Neglect has reached its final phase. Its bulb will grow into a giant mouth and eat him alive, then, with him rendered helpless in its 'stomach', I will… assassinate him."

Karma fired a shot at Kurama, cutting off a part of his bangs. "You bastard! If you wanted to, you could have killed him during the second phase, couldn't you?! Why…" Karma bared his teeth. "Why are you putting him through this?!" Other students readied their guns, tears in their eyes.

 _After all I've done… The least I can do is face them._ Kurama turned and stared them in the eye as the plant turned into a giant gaping maw. "If you want revenge, then attack me all you want."

The students charged at him. Only Yusuke and Hiei stayed behind, although judging from the looks on their faces, they were seconds from charging in too. The others thrusted at him, and several fired off guns. Using his Rose Whip, Kurama struck the knives and knocked them out the students' hands, all the while weaving between bullets with the grace of a dancer. Pulling seeds from his sleeves, Kurama threw them at the rubber guns. The seeds grew into vines midair and latched onto the guns with a death grip, rendering them unusable. Just then, a cry filled the room, freezing everyone.

Kurama looked over his shoulder as time slowed down. Koro-Sensei was devoured by the Seed of Neglect's mouth, forming a large purple shaped lump in its throat. The students gasped in horror. Kurama said slowly, "He's… being digested. Then, he'll be nothing more than a puddle of bile…" Kurama lowered his head. "…It's finished."

"…I wouldn't count me out yet."

The plant exploded, a purple liquid spraying all over the classroom like someone threw a giant water balloon. Standing on the windowsill in the plant's place was Koro-Sensei, covered in purple slime but otherwise uninjured.

The students erupted in a cheer. "KORO-SENSEIIII!" They ran past Kurama and embraced him.

A thousand emotions tore through Kurama. Disappointment. Happiness. Regret. But most of all shock. "H-How…?!"

Koro-Sensei patted Nagisa on the head. "It was simple, really. I make my own slime naturally, and it protected me from the digestive fluids of the plant. Then all I had to do was vibrate my molecules so fast that it imploded. More importantly, I made sure to water the plant once, so it couldn't reach its final phase. I'd never neglect something that belonged to one of my students. But if I knew that its natural habitat was a volcano, I certainly would have given it more water!"

Tears formed in Kurama's eyes. "Then…"

"…Your plan failed. I'm fine."

Kurama fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Thank goodness…"

Yusuke and Hiei ran up to him. "Kurama! Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke turned to Koro-Sensei. "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Koro-Sensei parted the crowd his students had formed and walked up to Kurama. Using a tentacle to lift his head, Koro-Sensei asked sadly, "You never wanted to kill me to begin with, did you?"

Gasping, Kurama asked, "H-How did you-?!"

"You were the more grateful than anyone when I survived."

Kurama lowered his head. "I… I just… when I heard about Yusuke's bet, somehow I felt responsible. I felt like _I_ had to make up for it. _I_ had to save the world. _I_ had… to kill you." Kurama looked into Koro-Sensei's beady eyes and said, his voice shaking, "But you were one of the few demons who was an amazing person. You cared about your students, you cared about us… You went through such lengths to provide for your potential murderers. And even though we only met a couple of days you, you… you understood and cared about me and helped me with my future." Kurama clenched his fists as he whispered, "How could I possibly kill someone like that even if it meant saving the world?"

Nagisa frowned, upset. "Then the reason why your method was so brutal…"

Kurama couldn't meet his gaze as he stood up. "I wanted to make sure that the method I picked would kill Koro-Sensei, no matter how many second doubts I had. I overcompensated because of my weakness, because I couldn't face how I felt…" Kurama looked up at Nagisa. "Nagisa, Karma! If you still want to take revenge, then do it."

Karma's eyes widened. "S-Shuichi…"

All of a sudden, Koro-Sensei smacked Kurama with one of his tentacles at mach-20. The force sent Kurama flying into a wall, causing it to crack behind him. Blinding pain coursed through Kurama. After a moment, Kurama managed to open his eyes. He could barely make out Koro-Sensei standing in front of him through his blurry vision. "K-Koro-Sensei…?"

His face black with rage, Koro-Sensei yelled, "You've no reason to demand revenge of anyone! Here in Class E, you are both my student and an assassin. You carried out a brilliant plan as according to your job, so why should you feel ashamed or upset over my death if the plan were to succeed?!"

"…Koro-Sensei…"

Karma offered Kurama his hand. "…I guess I-no, I guess all of Class E got caught up in the moment and misjudged you, just like we did when you first arrived here. It was a good plan after all."

Kurama looked up at Karma, feeling like a helpless child looking to a parent. "…Karma…" Kurama took his hand and stood up shakily. Nagisa and Yusuke wordlessly helped him stand. From a distance, Hiei eyed Kurama with concern.

His face returning to his normal yellow, Koro-Sensei called, "Let's all hear it for a fantastic plan that had even me on the ropes!"

The entire classroom started clapping. Tears formed in Kurama's eyes again. "W-Why…?"

Yusuke whispered, "Hear that? That's the sound of a crowd who lost to their opponent but can still feel satisfied because it was a terrific fight." Smirking, Yusuke looked over at Kurama. "…That's a sound you should be proud of."

"Yusuke…" Kurama smiled and lowered his head. "…Heh… You're right. It was a good fight…"

Koro-Sensei patted Kurama on the head. "I look forward to more in the future."

"…No, I think I'll be true to my feelings this time. I'm going to leave killing you in Yusuke's capable hands. This whole mess started because I couldn't accept his bet, after all." Kurama looked up at Yusuke's shocked face. "The rest is up to you, Yusuke. Don't let me down."

After a few moments, Yusuke smiled. "Heh, you should have trusted me from the start! My plan will knock Koro-Sensei straight to hell and back!"

Hiei, who had been surprisingly silent, spoke up. "Koro-Sensei. Once Yusuke makes up his mind to do something, no force can stop him. If he says he'll kill you, he means it."

Nagisa smiled. "And with how close Hiei and Kurama came…"

Karma finished, "…Class E can say with confidence that their last plan will kill you once and for all."

Koro-Sensei's face lined with green and yellow stripes. "No holding back now, and no more in-fighting! I expect everyone in Class E to work together give it nothing less than a 120%!"

Everyone pumped their fists in the air and cheered again. The final assassination attempt was drawing closer as the clock was ticking towards doomsday. Yet somehow, Kurama felt relieved now that he had admitted to his feelings. For the first time that week, he felt safe, believing that the world wouldn't be destroyed in three days now that Yusuke was in charge. Pain rendering him weak, Kurama's eyes rolled up into the back of his head. He slipped into unconsciousness with a smile.


	7. Episode 7: Intel

Episode Seven: Intel

As if tailing supposed messengers from the Spirit Realm wasn't enough, Karasuma was forced on babysitting duty the moment he got back. Apparently, the monster had assaulted one of his students, rendering the student in question so weak he passed out. Karasuma had been staring at the student in the nurse's office for well over an hour now. Nothing had happened. Well, someone showed up to give him flowers-really people? The kid wasn't dead-but that was it.

"Uuun…" The new student sat up and rubbed his head. "What happened?"

Karasuma explained, "The monster knocked you out after you failed to assassinate him."

The student stared at Karasuma before he blinked several times. "Have we met before, sir?"

At least he was polite. "I don't believe so. My name is Tadaomi Karasuma. I'm a member of the Ministry of Defense as well as your P.E. teacher."

The gears in the student's head started turning. "If you're a member of the Ministry of Defense, can I assume you were sent by the government to keep an eye on Koro-Sensei?"

"…That is correct." Karasuma placed one leg over the other and crossed his arms.

"Can I also assume that you're the one who is normally in charge of new assassins the government sends in?"

Damn this kid was sharp. "Yes, I am. You and your two friends, however, I did not even hear about until Koro-Sensei informed me."

The student nodded his head. He gripped his blankets, deep in thought. Then his eyes widened as though he remembered something. "Oh, forgive me, I'm being rude. My name is Yoko Kurama, but most students refer to me as Minamino Shuichi."

Two names? "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told you and the multi-colored hair student were both demons, is that right?"

"…Yes, it is."

So maybe this 'Spirit Realm' amounted to more than the gypsies who showed up at the school's door to pass out flyers about their cure for lengthy nose hair. Damn it, all that time he spent spying on them was for nothing. Karasuma stood up, throwing a note at Kurama. "Here. The monster said this was for you when you woke up."

Kurama caught it in mid-air. "Before you go… is Koro-Sensei in any trouble for hitting me?"

Karasuma looked down at the floor. "…Unfortunately, we have no film or evidence of the event since Autonomous Intelligence Fixed-er, Ritsu wasn't turned on at the time. So even if someone tried to file a claim, it'd be pointless. Not that any of the students would."

Kurama looked relieved. "I see."

"Unless you would…?"

"Oh, no!" Kurama adamantly shook his head. "I would never do that. Plus, as you said, there is no physical evidence of the event to support any testimony I may give."

The kid was knocked unconscious but wasn't upset over it? _Seems like he has learned to like Koro-Sensei as well as everyone else here. But in such a short time? Interesting…_

Kurama turned to the note and opened it. After reading it, he laughed softly. It had an octopus that was making an X with its tentacles drawn on it, and underneath was the message, " _Octopus X! I'm so sorry for hitting you! I got caught up in the moment, and I freaked. I am completely willing to commit seppuku if it will make you feel better. -Koro-Sensei"_ Kurama said with a small smile, "He really is something else…"

Walking out the door, Karasuma declared, "Fortunately, you woke up just in time for P.E. class. If you don't feel up to it, then stay here and get some more rest."

Kurama got out of bed, folding up the note and putting it in his pocket. "No, I'll come. Hiei, Yusuke, and I have interrupted Koro-Sensei's classes so much that we should try to make amends. What is the activity for today?"

Karasuma made a face. _I knew he was going to ask._ Looking over his shoulder, he muttered, "I don't know, ask Urameshi."

"Eh?"

By the time Karasuma arrived at the volleyball field with Kurama, the students had already changed into their gym uniforms. Nagisa walked up to Mr. Karasuma. "Mr. Karasuma," he squeaked. "Are we really playing Knife Death Match for gym today?!"

What the hell was a Knife Death Match? "Who gave you that idea?"

Nagisa pointed to Urameshi. "Yusuke did."

Groaning, Karasuma walked up to Urameshi and Hiei with Kurama and Nagisa in tow. When Urameshi saw them coming, he waved. "Hey, Kurama! You're up. You doing all right?" Kurama smiled and nodded. Urameshi grinned back until he noticed Karasuma. "Oh, Coach, hi. I'm taking over for the day, 'kay?" He gave Karasum a thumbs up.

Karasuma's eye twitched. Urameshi's informality was deplorable. "Please call me Mr. Karasuma."

"Whatever you say, Coach. So is that cool with you?"

Kurama looked up at Karasuma as the gym teacher let out a long sigh. Confused, Kurama asked, "Why is Yusuke determining our gym activity?"

"To make up for hitting you, Koro-Sensei wanted to let you choose what P.E. activity we'll do for today. But since you were unconscious, he gave Urameshi permission to choose whatever he pleased instead…"

Urameshi pumped his fists. "No other sport gets the blood pumping like a death match!"

A multi-colored haired student, the other assassin that came with Urameshi and Kurama, finally spoke up. "And the blood pouring. But honestly, Yusuke, do you really expect the wussy faculty to just roll over and let you play a death match?"

Karasuma affirmed, "The answer is no. Come up with something else."

"Well," Nagisa offered. "How about dodge ball? It's like a death match. …Kinda."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Tsk, fine."

The students ran off to grab the balls from the storage shed. Karasuma watched them go.

"Having fun with your break?"

Karasuma wasn't the least bit surprised that Koro-Sensei had materialized behind him. Turning and chucking a knife at the octopus, Karasuma asked, "I thought you were in Hawaii to find a miracle cure smelling salt."

Koro-Sensei dodged the knife with ease. "I was. But I found one in China, so I came back early. Yet judging from the fact that Minamino is already awake, it looks like my efforts were wasted." He turned to look at the students running around, chucking balls at each other. "Dodge ball? I was expecting something a little more drastic."

Karasuma shook his head. "Don't even ask…"

A silence settled over them as they watched the students play. After witnessing Yusuke dodge a ball thrown at him with amazing reflexes, getting a student behind him out in Yusuke's stead, Koro-Sensei grinned. "…Urameshi says he's certain he'll be able to kill me come tomorrow. And with how positive he is, I find myself looking forward to what he's come up with."

"…" The idea of someone killing Koro-Sensei seemed like more of a fantasy than reality to Karasuma. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but one could only take one straw out at a time and the needle was constantly flying around inside the stack. "If killing you were that simple, I'd have killed you myself long ago."

"Oh, please," a third voice whined. "I'd have killed him too."

Karasuma turned to see Irina walked up next to him, tossing her hair. "I'd been running all over creation because of that misinformation you gave me, Octopus! There aren't any 'Spirit Realm Angels' or whatever, are there?! Do you even see these creatures? I bet they don't even exist. That's why we couldn't find them!"

A few days ago, Koro-Sensei had told Karasuma and Irina that he was being tailed by members of the Spirit Realm. He asked them to look into it, luring them into doing it by claiming people from the Spirit Realm were potentially more dangerous than the yellow teacher was. It was the reason why Karasuma and Irina were gone from class for so long.

Koro-Sensei ignored Irina's threatening tone. "Yes, I saw them. Yes, they exist. No, I didn't think you'd be able to find them. You're about as subtle as lingerie in the middle of the swimwear aisle."

"Y-You…"

Karasuma frowned. "If this weirdo teacher couldn't find them, then of course we wouldn't be able to, Irina. He just wanted us gone so he could teach more classes, thus giving the three new students more chances to assassinate him." Turning to Koro-Sensei, Karasuma huffed, "Am I not correct?"

However, it seemed Koro-Sensei was distracted by Irina's body again. Honestly, he was as perverted as a single old man. "Hm? Oh, uh, yes, that's right. Ms. Irina, I apologize for the unsuccessful chase, but it was important. I missed you greatly as did the students."

Irina looked away and crossed her arms. "Whatever. We both know you just missed my boobs." Changing the subject, Irina asked, "Hey, Mr. Karasuma, how did your search turn out?"

Karasuma picked up the knife he threw at Koro-Sensei earlier and brushed the dirt off. "Not well. I wasted time looking into a cult that was completely irrelevant."

"Same. They told me 'we'll take you to the Spirit Realm, follow us.' They led me into a back alley and tried to kill me!"

Pocketing the knife, Karasuma asked, "How'd that turn out?"

"I seduced and killed them, naturally." Karasuma shook his head. Only someone like Irina could say that with a straight face. She inquired, "Did I miss anything while I was out?"

Koro-Sensei piped up, "I'd say so. The three new students are quite interesting additions to the class."

Irina raised an eyebrow. "You honestly think they can kill you?"

"If they had the rest of the year, maybe. But if they're only staying for a few more days, then no." Koro-Sensei pointed with one of his tentacles at Urameshi. He was throwing a dodge ball at someone's face and laughing all the while. In Karasuma's eyes, he had 'troublesome' written all over him. 'Knife Death Match' his ass…

Koro-Sensei explained, "Urameshi has yet to try assassinating me, but he claims to have a plan that will do me in. Even the rest of Class E is siding with him."

That piqued Karasuma's interest. "And what exactly does this plan entail?"

"Who knows?"

Useless. But to be expected. If Koro-Sensei knew of the plan before it was enacted, then the plan was sure to fail. "Well if that's all you have to say, then I'm going to make sure the students don't murder each other out there. For dodge ball, they're playing with the intent to kill, and they should be saving that for you, not each other."

Just as Karasuma began to walk off, Koro-Sensei called, "Mr. Karasuma?" He turned, slightly annoyed. Koro-Sensei's face lined with yellow and green stripes. "…I wouldn't prepare that ten billion if I were you."

Karasuma stared at Koro-Sensei. _This monster… He's looking forward to Urameshi's plan because he knows it won't kill him. He takes no plan to kill him seriously, no matter who is behind it, because he has that much faith in his power…_ Karasuma walked off, shaking his head. _I don't know if I believe he can be killed, but I know I don't believe in fairy tales._

Karasuma approached Urameshi, who had just dodged a ball with an impossibly high jump. "Urameshi."

Landing on one knee, Yusuke looked up in surprise. "Oh, Coach. What do you want?"

"…That monster doesn't believe your plan will kill him."

Tilting his head to dodge another ball as he stood up, Yusuke responded, "I don't expect him to. He doesn't know how powerful I am."

Karasuma studied Yusuke for a moment. "You really are a cheeky one, aren't you?" Karasuma reached into his pocket and handed Yusuke a small notebook. "I'm aware that Shiota has a notebook on Koro-Sensei's weaknesses, but as per the military's requests, I was asked to write a list of his _strengths_." Yusuke stared down at the notebook, shocked. "Don't share any of the information inside it with anyone, even your closest friends, as it's highly confidential. …I'm counting on you, Urameshi. Every student in Class E has been abuzz with excitement since you made your announcement, so I'm going to put my faith in you as well."

Yusuke took the notebook as he ducked another ball. "…Thanks, Karasuma. I'll knock him into next week."

Karasuma noted that Urameshi wasn't calling him 'coach' anymore. Still, he couldn't find it within him to smile. "…I can only hope so."

* * *

Irina had up to here with this crap. It had been going on all day since she got back, and it was time to stop. She barged into the teacher's lounge, where Koro-Sensei was enjoying a smoothie and reading a magazine. "You dirty octopus! Hand it over now!"

Koro-Sensei looked up. "Oh, Ms. Irina. Hand over what?"

Irina leaned into Koro-Sensei's face with a leer. "You know what. The notebook."

"Notebook…? My grading book? I'm afraid that's an invasion of student's privacy."

Sighing, Irina straightened up and put her hand on her hip. "No, the notebook that you've been writing who knows what in while you followed me all day."

Koro-Sensei set down his smoothie. "While I do enjoy your company, Ms. Irina, I wouldn't forsake classes to follow you. You must be mixing me up with someone else."

Irina's muscles relaxed a little. "So it wasn't you?"

"Not today, no," Koro-Sensei said with a smile.

"You little-" In the corner of her eye, Irina saw the door crack open. In a flash, she jumped over and threw the door open, revealing the student named Urameshi Yusuke, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights. "It was you?!"

"Er," Yusuke muttered as he hid a notebook and a pencil behind his back. "I can explain…"

"Like hell! Hand it over or die!" Irina tried to get around Yusuke, but he was too quick.

"Now Ms. Irina," Koro-Sensei chided as he got up and walked over to her. "Is that any way to ask for something?"

"Grrr…"

Koro-Sensei extended one of his tentacles and stole the notebook from Yusuke. "What-hey!"

Skimming the contents, Koro-Sensei smiled. "…Impressive. Ms. Irina, this appears to be notes on all the staff here, not just you." Koro-Sensei looked up at Yusuke. "Doing your homework, are you? I admire that."

Yusuke rubbed the bottom of his nose and took his notebook back with his free hand. "Heh, I try. Well, you know, sometimes. When the assignment is interesting."

Before Yusuke had the chance to run off, Irina grabbed the notebook and the pencil back. "You're not getting off that easily!" She flipped through it and found a page on her.

 _Giant Boobed Girl Notes:_

 _1:Whines frequently. About everything and anything._

 _2: Frenches any guy she can, even if it's a student, like a pedophile. NOTE: See what French kissing is like with Keiko later._

 _3: Fluent in many languages and is a foreigner._

 _4: Walks with so much sass it must hurt her hips._

 _5: Was an assassin hired to kill Koro-Sensei._

 _6: Measurements-_

Irina yelled, "My measurements are not helpful to you for anything but your perverted fantasies!" Flipping the pencil around, she erased it with haste. "Everyone here's a pervert, I swear…"

Yusuke freaked. "Ah! No! That was important, I'm telling you!"

Growling, Irina thrusted the notebook into Yusuke's chest. "Follow me around again, and you'll regret it."

Koro-Sensei nodded. "I understand the sentiment, Urameshi, but you should listen to Ms. Irina."

Irina shook her head. "'I understand the sentiment'? Honestly, you people…" Shoving Yusuke aside, Irina walked out of the room and down the hallway.

She found herself thinking about what transpired. _So this kid has not only Nagisa's notes, but Mr. Karasuma's and his own. Not even I took notes on that octopus when I came here. Just what is he plotting that's so intricate he'd need this much information to kill him?_ Irina stopped walking. _Wait… did I honestly just think this kid could kill Koro-Sensei?_ Looking over her shoulder at Yusuke, who was still talking to Koro-Sensei, a strange feeling spread inside Irina. Jealousy? Anticipation? Doubt? _Who knows if he can?_ She flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued to walk down the hall. _All I know is it's got to be a hell of a plan._

* * *

Hiei opened the storage shed door to find Yusuke sitting on the floor, his hands folded in front of him, staring at three notebooks laid out in front of him. "What are you doing?"

Yusuke looked up. "Ah, Hiei… I was trying to come up with a perfect plan."

Closing the door behind him, Hiei tossed his sword onto his futon. "So for all your talk, you hadn't even come up with a plan?"

"I have a rough idea; I just wanted some more information."

Hiei walked across the room and sat down on his futon. "…So you gathered some yourself, is that it?"

"Yeah. I'm the one who made the bet, so it's my responsibility to make sure I win in the end. I want my plan to be perfect. It has to be. Zero room for doubt. If it's gonna fail, it's gonna be because of an ability that no one knows about." Yusuke read the list of Koro-Sensei's abilities aloud, "Well, let's see…

 _#1: Can move at mach-20 intricately with unparalleled accuracy_

 _#2: Can stretch his tentacles_

 _#3: Can make his tentacles sticky and adhesive to pick up things_

 _#4: Can regenerate lost limbs_

 _#5: Has an incredible sense of smell_

 _#6: His head solidifies when pressure is applied, allowing him to survive mach-20_

 _#7: Can turn into a liquid when he drinks a special chemical_

 _#8: Can shed his skin, which is both incredibly sticky and nearly impossible to penetrate_

"…Shit, Mr. Karasuma said I wasn't supposed to read it to anyone," Yusuke cursed as he finished.

Shaking his head, Hiei pulled his sword out of its sheath and began to polish it. "Who gives a damn what he wants? If he gave it to you, it must not have been _that_ important to keep it a secret begin with." Yusuke shrugged. Apparently, Yusuke didn't care that much. "Anyway," Hiei continued, "for how many abilities you have to overcome, you're awfully optimistic."

"I know, but…" Yusuke let out a frustrated sigh and looked up at the ceiling. "…I keep coming back to what Toguro said."

That was a name Hiei hadn't heard in a while. Toguro was a demon who had no techniques or special abilities, only immense power. "Why Toguro?"

"He said something like 'Absolute power is everything! It overpowers any technique!'"

Hiei snorted. "He _lost_ to you, and yet you're taking advice from him? Are you just searching for an excuse to use if you fail?"

"No," Yusuke said flatly. "It's just that I was thinking about what would happen if I engaged Tentacles in a legitimate battle. Instead of trying to think like an assassin, what if we just battled it out?"

"If that happened," Hiei stated blankly, "you would have a chance of winning. Koro-Sensei is probably aware of that, so why would he accept such a proposal?"

Crossing his arms and lowering his head, Yusuke said, "I know, I know. But that line of thinking made me realize just how much raw power I have stored up." Yusuke looked at his hands. "I haven't battled with all my power it in months. The amount of Reiki and Yoki I have stored up must be immense."

Hiei rolled his eyes. _Like yourself much?_

Yusuke flipped through some pages in the notebooks, seemingly at random. "But…" Suddenly his eyes widened. He picked up one of the books and flipped through it so fast he tore the edges of some of the pages.

"Oh? Come up with something?"

"Yes… Yes, YES!" Yusuke threw the book down. A wicked grin appeared on his face. "I know how I'm going to kill Koro-Sensei! And it'll take everything we know about him to win."


	8. Episode 8: Preparation

Episode Eight: Preparation

At the end of the next day, as per Yusuke's request, Class 3-E was going to have air conditioning installed. The school wouldn't even have to cover the costs; it was free. How was this possible? Well, Yusuke called in some old friends…

"Remind me exactly why this was so important that you'd call me from the Spirit Realm?" Koenma, who was in his 'teenage form', crossed his arms. "I'm going to have a ton of paperwork when I get back. You've no idea how much management wants my head because I let you go ahead with your bet."

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, sorry about that…" Several members of the Spirit Realm were disguised in a uniform with a logo that read, "Spirit Drivers; We Air, Because We Care". They ran about this way and that outside the school, carrying a multitude of tools. Yusuke stared at a group of them as he said, "I don't consider it a bet anymore. Because a bet would imply a chance of losing."

Koenma raised an eyebrow. "You're that confident?"

"Yep. And this new 'gift' is an important part of the plan."

Koenma relaxed his shoulders. "That's good to hear. I was beginning to fear this was the last time I'd be visiting the Human Realm before its destruction. By the way, just how did you manage to both find my Sacred PJ's while you were working on this assignment?"

"Er…" He must have been talking about Kuwabara.

Thankfully, a Spirit Realm employee disguised in a large trench coat walked up to Koenma, waving his arms this way and that. "Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!" He pulled out a receipt. "What should I pay the store we bought the tools from? I forgot my Visa, so…"

"You mean you haven't done so already?! For cripes' sake." Koenma snapped his fingers, and a checkbook appeared in his hand. "Just write them a check, Jorge."

Jorge took the checkbook carefully, as though it were an ancient, invaluable relic. "Okay! Jorge Satome thanks you!"

"And don't even think of writing an extra amount for yourself."

Jorge pouted and walked off, shoulders slumped. "I really do hate him," he muttered sadly.

"Who was that?"

Koenma answered dryly, "That was my idiotic assistant, J- Wait, it's YOU?!"

Koenma turned, shocked to see Koro-Sensei standing beside him. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Koro-Sensei. I believe you were the one who had followed me around last week."

"E-E-Er, that's… classified."

Yusuke laughed. "What's the point in hiding it? Tentacles here knows that Kurama and Hiei are demons, and he has suspicions about the Spirit Realm, so why not just come clean at this point?" Smirking slyly, Yusuke added, "…It's not like he'll live through tomorrow."

Koro-Sensei smiled evilly as his face changed to green and yellow stripes. "We'll see about that."

Koenma coughed and pulled out a form. "Er, please sign here to acknowledge that Spirit Drivers will be supplying you with free air conditioning…"

Koro-Sensei swiped the form and signed it in nanoseconds, adding a doodle of an octopus at the top. "No need to play at this 'Spirit Drivers' business. I know you're nothing of the sort. Thanks for the air conditioner, though."

"…It'll be wired to the teacher's lounge, so you can control the temperature from there."

"I'll keep that in mind. By the way, how do you think I'll fair when I die?"

Koenma blinked. "What?"

Koro-Sensei handed Koenma the form back. "You are Yama the Great's son, aren't you? Why else would you have 'Jr.' on your forehead and carry around a pacifier in your mouth like an overgrown baby?"

Koenma's eye twitched. "…You're going to hell." Koro-Sensei merely chuckled. (Was he taking this seriously at all?) Turning to Yusuke while pocketing the form, Koenma stated, "Yusuke. I'm going on ahead. I'll be watching from the monitor by my desk, and I can only hope this particular show has a happy ending in store for us."

Yusuke gave Koenma a thumbs up. "Count on it." Koenma turned around, ready to leave. "Oh, wait." Yusuke interrupted. "Before you go, do you got a ride that'll let me travel incredibly fast?"

Koenma turned back to Yusuke. "…I could have Botan or one of my other subordinates give you a ride. Where are you going?"

"I need to see that old hag."

* * *

After Koenma had one of his subordinates give Yusuke a lift, Yusuke dropped himself off at Genkai's shrine. Climbing up the stairs to her house was such a hike that even Yusuke was gasping for breath. "Ah… Ah… So many steps…" Yusuke looked down behind him at the countless steps that seemed to descend into nothingness. "…It all started with these steps, just like Kuwabara said to me once…" Yusuke turned to Genkai's shrine and walked up to the door. "…And it'll end here too."

Opening the door, Yusuke called, "Yo! I'm home, or close enough…"

Keiko entered the room. "Oh, Yusuke! Finished 'enjoying the day'?"

Giving Keiko a confused look, Yusuke said slowly, "Uh… Why are you here and what are you-" Yusuke's eyes widened. Clamping his hands over his mouth, Yusuke thought, _Shit! That's right! Keiko and the others are staying at Genkai's place with Kuwabara, and I just showed up here without telling him! This is the worst scenario possible!_ Yusuke coughed and straightened up. "Er, yes. The sun was… refreshing, and it… uh, cleared my mind."

Smiling, Keiko walked over to Yusuke. "That's good. You were starting to not sound like yourself. I was getting worried."

"H-Ha, oh, really? That's weird! There's only one of me, you know." _I'm so gonna kill you, Kuwabara!_

Keiko put her hands behind her back and blushed slightly. "Even so… I really liked what you said earlier. About how nothing is more important than protecting those you care about, and your feelings being true power…" Keiko leaned in close to Yusuke's face so that they were only inches apart. She said softly, "If that's true… then I feel more powerful than ever right now."

Keiko kissed Yusuke, rooting him to the spot and rendering him completely frozen. Keiko took a step back and muttered shyly, "I hope we can stay here more often in the future…" After chuckling at Yusuke's slack jaw, she turned around and left the room.

 _…_ _Damn._ Yusuke touched his lips. _Maybe I'll have to_ thank _Kuwabara later…_ A few seconds passed before Yusuke yelled, "Shit, I forgot to try out Frenching!"

Grumbling to himself, Yusuke exited the foyer and walked down a hall, keeping an eye out for Genkai. "Now if I were an old hag, where would I be…?" Suddenly, Yusuke bumped into someone and fell backwards on his butt. "Oof!" Yusuke rubbed the back of his head, "Ugh, sorry…" Yusuke blinked. "Oh, Yukina, it's you."

Yukina walked up to Yusuke and fretted over him. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you all right?"

Waving the question aside, Yusuke stood up. "I've gotten hit by cars and trucks before and survived. I'm fine."

Frowning, Yukina asked, "Weren't you killed by a car?"

"…That's not the point here."

Yukina folded her hands. "Um, I wanted to ask you again… Why do you think Kazuma-san couldn't join us?" Her voice growing a little frantic, Yukina asked, "What is he doing? Is he okay?"

"Um…" Yusuke crossed his arms and lowered his head, deep in thought. _I don't know what Kuwabara told her, so I have to be careful with what I say._ "He's… going through some changes right now, so he couldn't come."

"Changes? Like what?"

"Like… hair. His hair got cut. He's so ashamed of losing his pompadour that he won't show himself in public until it grows back."

Yukina lowered her head. "That's awful…"

 _She bought it?!_

Yukina punched her fist into her palm. "Oh! Is he going through the 'puberty' process I heard about?"

Yusuke burst out laughing so hard he doubled over and fought tears. "HAHAHA, Kuwabara… Puberty…! Ha, you'd think that from his voice cracking all the time, wouldn't you…! Pfffft, WAHAHAHA!"

Yukina furrowed her brow. "Am I wrong…?"

Coughing, Yusuke straightened himself up. "No, you're absolutely right. Kuwabara's going through puberty. And when he comes back, he'll say stuff about how much he loves you and wants to marry you, but it'll only be because of his mental state." Yusuke leaned in and whispered in Yukina's ear, "You see, when people go through puberty, they lose their minds for a bit, and you have to bear with them. But don't mention this to him, or you'll hurt his feelings."

Yukina nodded discreetly. "O-Okay…"

Standing upright, Yusuke declared, "All right! That was fun. Where's the old hag?"

"Who?"

"…Genkai."

"Oh! She's in there," Yukina instructed, pointing to a door at the end of the hall.

"Thanks, I'll see you in a few da-er, soon, uh… bye."

Yusuke barged into Genkai's room without knocking. Waving, Yusuke called, "Yo, old hag! It's been a while!"

Genkai was sitting at her table, pouring tea into small teacups, presumably for her other guests. Looking up, she stared at Yusuke for a few seconds. Genkai sighed. "…It really is you, not that hopeless idiot."

"In the flesh. And mind and body, too."

Genkai shook her head. "Honestly, what gave you the idea to have him imitate you?"

"It was… spur of the moment," Yusuke admitted. "But that's not why I came. I need your help to kill an opponent more powerful than anyone I'd ever faced."

Genkai eyed Yusuke with curiosity. "I heard you were heading out to defeat a demon unlike any other… But you should be well aware by now that your power far exceeds mine. I have nothing left to teach you."

Shaking his head, Yusuke corrected, "No, I don't need that kind of help. I need something from you that I left here."

Genkai raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean…"

"Yep!" Yusuke gave a thumbs up. "The very same."

"What possible use could-"

Yusuke cracked his knuckles with a sly grin. "Oh it'll be useful, believe me."

"…You're a terrible pupil. Such an Indian giver…" Genkai sighed. "All right. But I don't believe anything will come of it."

Yusuke snapped his fingers. "Oh, before I forget! You're good at knitting things, right?"

"I don't believe I've ever discussed such a talent with you. What makes you think I am?"

"Well… you're old."

Genkai eyed Yusuke, warily. "…Yes, I'm good at knitting."

"Great!" Yusuke stood up and reached into his bag. "Could you knit me something out of this material? It'd also be great if you could channel some Reiki into it and make it invisible, just like those lottery cards you used when I signed up to become your student."

Genkai raised her eyebrows. "So you figured that trick out, did you?" When Yusuke had been asked by the Spirit Realm to become Genkai's student, she had several challenges to narrow down the list of potential candidates. The first was a lottery, where each candidate was given a slip of paper that appeared blank if they had low spirit power. "I suppose it _could_ be possible depending on the material. What is it?"

Yusuke laughed. "I can guarantee you it's something you've never seen before."

* * *

After enlisting the help of Koenma and Genkai, Yusuke needed assistance of just two more people. Entering the storage shed of Kunugigaoka Junior High, Yusuke asked, "Hey, Kurama, can I talk to you for a second?"

Kurama looked up from the paper he was studying intently. "Oh, Yusuke. I was just doing that job sheet from earlier. What's on your mind?"

"You're worried about homework when the world may end in two days?"

Kurama averted his gaze for a moment. Then he looked up at Yusuke with a fierce look in his eyes. "…I've given up worrying about that. I have faith in you."

Yusuke was a little touched. But only for a second. "All right, no need to get all sappy on me," he scolded. "I'd like to ask for two things to borrow."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "It appears that you your plan is quite complicated. What do you need?"

"Well, remember that potion that turned you into your Yoko form during the Dark Tournament?" Kurama nodded. During a battle tournament, Kurama had used a potion from a friend to turn himself into his true form, Yoko Kurama, a kitsune. The potion was a unique one that set its user back until before they were first born, but since Kurama had been previously been a kitsune before becoming human, the potion had allowed him to return to his original form as a fox. "Do you have any left?" Yusuke asked. "I would like to have some."

Frowning, Kurama stated, "You do realize that if _you_ used it, nothing good would come of it. In fact, seeing as you died twice before, the potion might interpret one of your rebirths as your moment of birth and kill you."

"Trust me."

Kurama stared into Yusuke's eyes. "I can tell you're certain about this…" Grabbing his bag, Kurama poked his head inside and dug around. "What was the other thing you wanted?"

Grinning, Yusuke said, "You'll never guess. It's brilliant. In fact, I'd reckon I'm smarter than you now."

Kurama lifted his head from his backpack to narrow his eyes at Yusuke. "I am under no obligation to give you anything."

Putting a hand on his hip, Yusuke huffed, "Come on. Don't make me beg."

Kurama raised an eyebrow and smirked. He murmured, "Now _that_ would be a brilliant idea."

Hiei poked his head in the doorway, lifting his hand. "I agree. It'll be a great sight to see." He smirked, "I'll never let you forget it." Hiei and Kurama both burst out laughing.

Incensed, Yusuke growled. _With friends like these who needs enemies? Maybe the best plan would be assassinating_ them _instead._

* * *

With almost everything ready, Yusuke required only one more thing. After asking Nagisa for her phone number, Yusuke called up Okuda. Class had long since ended for the day and all of the students were at home. After letting the phone ring several times, she answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Yusuke." Yusuke was standing outside the storage shed to get better reception. Squinting up at the sun, Yusuke asked, "I know we're not really friends or anything, but do you have a moment?"

"O-Okay…"

"I heard you know all things relating to chemicals and stuff. I was gonna ask that machine girl-Ritsu, right?-for her help, but I don't know how to turn her on. So I called you instead."

"I think Ritsu only turns on when she wants to or right before class starts."

Stretching, Yusuke said, "It's not that important. Anyway, could you do me a favor? I'd like you to make something for me using your chemistry skills…"

* * *

With all the materials he needed ready, Yusuke phoned Nagisa and told him to bring over all the students for a strategy meeting. Kurama and Hiei were present as well. Yusuke showed everyone his materials and told them his plan. When he finished, their faces were so shocked and impressed that Yusuke felt pride swelling through him. "All right," Yusuke called. "Nagisa, did you pick up that stuff I asked you to? I don't want those crappy absorbent ones."

"Yep!" Nagisa held up a plastic bag. "I have them right here."

"Great, I'll pay you back later." Yusuke turned to Karma. "Karma, you got the rest of the things I asked for?"

Karma held up another bag. "Yeah, in here."

"Sugino, have you amassed all the weapons you can?"

"Yeah! I have them in the storage shed."

Inwardly, Yusuke groaned. He'd have to sleep with tons of weapons leering over him tonight. "Whatever. In any case, with everything ready, there's something I'd like to say."

Yusuke took a deep breath. "I'm not necessarily doing this to save the world. At this point, I want to kill Koro-Sensei to say I killed him. I want the satisfaction. I want to know that _I_ killed the most dangerous creature in the world. In the event I do-no, when I kill him, I plan on dividing the ten billion among all of us. I don't care about the money. It'll just burn a hole in my pocket, and you guys deserve a part of it for your cooperation." Yusuke cracked his knuckles. "Still, I don't want any of you to think of yourselves as world saviors. You're all here as Class E students, the lowest of the curriculum, but the highest in spirit. You're assassins, the best of the world, gathered together in one place for their ultimate confrontation." Yelling as loud as he could, Yusuke declared, "We're Class E! We're the best of the best! And soon, we'll be WINNERS!" The entire class cheered. Even Hiei grinned. Yusuke pointed at them with a finger gun.

" **NOW LET'S KICK SOME FREAKIN' ASS**!"


	9. Episode 9: It Begins… And Ends

Episode Nine: It Begins… And Ends

Yusuke spent most of class with his hands folded under his nose, leaning forward in his desk, and staring at Koro-Sensei with bloodlust. But now it was finally the last class of the day. It was almost time. Just a few more minutes…

"Okay, class," Koro-Sensei called, either completely oblivious to or ignoring the tension in the air. "It's time for your history test. I hope you know your studies come before assassinating me!" Koro-Sensei handed out the test papers at mach-20, then resumed his position at the head of the classroom.

Not even bothering to glance down at the test, Yusuke thought, _…It's almost time._ A bead of sweat trickled down his neck, but not because of anticipation. _All right, it's started._ Yusuke raised his hand. "Hey, Tentacles," he asked without being called. "It's getting pretty stuffy in here. Can I open a window?"

Looking up from his magazine, Koro-Sensei replied, "All right, I think it's pretty hot too. But do it quietly, the other students are testing."

"Yeah, yeah…" As Yusuke got up, he caught Kurama's eye and winked. Kurama merely smiled in response before returning to his test. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Yusuke opened the window and sat back down. Unfortunately, within another few minutes, the room grew hot again. Opening the window seemed to make things worse. Several students pulled at their collars, and others waved their hands in front of their face. With a room full of so many people on a hot day, it naturally started to smell. But that wasn't what Yusuke was concerned about.

Koro-Sensei's head had swelled slightly from the humidity. _Koro-Sensei's Weakness #12: He gets soggy_. Some students couldn't help but chuckle, and even Yusuke found himself stifling a laugh. Koro-Sensei had always looked a little strange, but with his head so disproportioned, he looked even funnier. But as funny as Koro-Sensei looked, the terrible heat in the room was not funny at all. The room had become so hot, Yusuke felt his own body become more and more sluggish. "Tentacles," Yusuke whined. "Can I open the other window?"

"Please do, Urameshi," Koro-Sensei replied, waving a tentacle in front of his face. "All this humidity is making me swell."

Yusuke opened the last window, and a fresh blast of humidity struck the room. Any more, and Yusuke thought he was going to die. Several students made gagging noises from the back, almost caving in. As Yusuke sat back down, he could feel his own clothes stick to him. _It's got to be enough by now,_ Yusuke thought as he stared at Koro-Sensei's swelled head. Turning to Ritsu in the back of the room, Yusuke discreetly gestured to Koro-Sensei with his head. Ritsu's screen flashed "Head Swollen 30% Larger" for a second before returning to her Class E avatar. It was finally time.

Yusuke climbed up on top of his desk. "Just what are you doing, Urameshi?" Koro-Sensei sounded annoyed. "Did you finish your test or are you doing this for the exercise?"

"No," Yusuke replied, putting on a poker face. "I'm just checking the air vent in the ceiling. The air conditioning that was installed yesterday seems to be failing…"

"That's why you should never trust shady companies. Please get off your desk."

Ignoring Koro-Sensei, Yusuke popped open the vent easily since he'd asked Koenma to leave the screws a little loose. Feeling around inside it, Yusuke muttered incoherently to himself. Eventually he said, "Jeez, this heat is so intense, I could almost _die_." No sooner than the words exit his mouth did something fall into his hand. _Got it!_

Koro-Sensei moved next to Yusuke. "Urameshi, please don't make me-"

In a flash, Yusuke pulled a gun out of the air vent and screamed, "Surprise!" He fired off several shots at point blank range into Koro-Sensei's shocked face. With just a hair's breadth, Koro-Sensei sidestepped them at the last second. Yusuke fired off a quick Rei-Gun too, but Koro-Sensei ducked.

"…Urameshi, " Koro-Sensei lectured as he straightened up, sounding more and more angry. "You're disrupting the classroom for the sake of a half-baked assassination attempt. Get off your desk and complete the test."

Concentrating, Yusuke turned the Rei-Gun he fired earlier in mid air, making it fly back towards his hand like a boomerang. "I wouldn't call it half baked, unlike your assumption about my plan! With your head this swollen, you're a much bigger target!"

Koro-Sensei's eyes widened. Turning quickly, he noticed the Rei-Gun bouncing back and ducked once more. The Rei-Gun sailed over his head and curved one last time into… the fire alarm. "Oh… Shit." Yusuke said.

An impossibly loud alarm sounded throughout the classroom, and the sprinklers turned on. The students screamed and used their test sheets to cover their heads from the oncoming downpour. It was like a hurricane hit Class E, bringing mass hysteria with it. Yusuke let himself get soaked, using the water to cool him off from the heat earlier. He was enjoying every moment of this.

"…Urameshi…" Koro-Sensei was livid.

"Oops," Yusuke muttered. He gave a sly smile. "Sorry?"

"…" Koro-Sensei punched the fire alarm by extending a tentacle. It crashed from the ceiling onto the floor with a loud bang, shattering to pieces. All at once, the sprinklers shut off. Students looked around the room and down at their clothes, cursing loudly. "Never before… has a student been so disruptive of my class." Turning pitch black, Koro-Sensei declared, "Try to assassinate me in class like that again, Urameshi…!"

Yusuke jumped off his desk and stared up at Koro-Sensei, unafraid. "And what?" Water dripped off of his hair and onto the floor, echoing throughout the now silent room as he asked, "…or you'll hit me like you did Kurama?"

What seemed like an eternity passed before Koro-Sensei said, "Clean this up. The test will be taken next week, and what we were supposed to cover after the test will be homework instead. When you're done cleaning the room, class is over for the day." Koro-Sensei left the room, stating, "I'm going to fix the air conditioner that started all this myself…"

As Koro-Sensei left, Puu slid down through the air duct in the ceiling and into Yusuke's arms. "Puu! Great job messing with the air conditioning. It seemed so natural." Setting Puu down on his desk, Yusuke turned to the rest of the class. "Er… Sorry about soaking you."

Nagisa stood up. "No problem. It was refreshing after all that heat."

"Please close those damn windows…"

"On it."

A few girls crowded around Puu and began pulling on his ears, cooing things like, "He's so cute!" and "His floppy ears are like a dog's!" and "Why does he have hair?"

 _Leave it to the girls to ignore being soaked in favor of something like Puu,_ Yusuke thought.

Kurama left the room and re-entered with cleaning equipment. Bleach, towels, buckets, you name it, he had it. "I believe this should suffice."

"All right, thanks."

Yusuke and the rest of the students wordlessly set to work. As Yusuke dried off his own desk, Kurama asked, "So you wanted that potion from me to turn Puu back into his little penguin form?"

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I wanted someone to screw with the air conditioning and hand me a gun through the vent. But Karasuma and Ms. Bitch refused, and I knew if I got a student Koro-Sensei would notice, so I used Puu! If he were in his bird form, he wouldn't have even fit through the door, so I used the potion to turn him to this size for a while."

Hiei, who was standing in his usual spot watching the others clean instead of helping, shook his head. "And after putting all that thought into your plan and even making Koro-Sensei's head bigger, you still failed. So much for that preparation."

Looking up from his desk, Yusuke gave Hiei a quizzical look. "Eh? Who said I failed?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes. "Koro-Sensei is still alive, you moron."

"Heh, I'm just getting started. This was all phase one."

* * *

After about an hour of scrubbing and bleaching the walls, the classroom was squeaky clean. Some students even did the hallways and windows. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every cloth in the entire school building was soaked in bleach and set to dry outside on the clothesline they set up. His job done, Yusuke popped into the teacher's lounge to find Koro-Sensei fiddling with the air conditioning. "Yo. We're done. Who'd have thought ALL the sprinklers would be set off just from the classroom's?"

"…" Koro-Sensei had returned to his normal yellow color, but he still wasn't exactly pleased.

Yusuke clapped his hands. "Weeeeeelll, we did what you asked, so I'll be heading out. Just came in to tell you."

"Urameshi," Koro-Sensei called before Yusuke could leave. "…Was this the best you could do?" In all honestly, Koro-Sensei sounded a little… disappointed. "The air conditioning, opening the windows… was it all just for that?"

Yusuke threw his hands in the air. "I guess I'm not as good as I thought I was. Sorry about screwing up your class so much."

"…"

Walking down the hall, Yusuke put his hand in his pocket. Heart beating a million times every second, he thought to himself, _All right, let's see if this works…_ He gripped his hand around something small and round in his pocket.

* * *

Koro-Sensei stood just inside the doorway to the classroom, only to be assaulted by the overpowering smell of bleach. "Bleh," Koro-Sensei gagged. "This is going to give me a headache…" Hearing scuffling in the halls, Koro-Sensei turned to see some students were wiping down the hallways. "Sugino, Nagisa, what are you still doing here? Class is dismissed. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Nagisa looked up at Koro-Sensei. What was with that strange gleam in his eyes? "Nah, I think it'll be good to wash the school every once in a while. The place is so dirty it's depressing. I think the sprinklers going off was a blessing in disguise."

"Well… all right." Koro-Sensei watched Nagisa and Sugino head off, scrubbing the floor as they went. Entering Class 3-E, Koro-Sensei stood by his desk. Sighing, he looked around. He noticed the trashcan was full of the tests he worked so hard to make individually for each student. They were drenched and unreadable, so even if he tried to salvage them, there wouldn't have been a point. _Oh well,_ Koro-Sensei comforted himself. _I guess the school being clean is a good enough trade off… A cleaner environment will make the students happier, after all._

Just then, Koro-Sensei heard footsteps down the hall. Irina entered the room, her hand on her hip. "I just got kicked out of the teacher's lounge. The students are scrubbing the entire place top to bottom!" She shook her head. "Honestly, it's like they're enjoying it."

"Let them have some fun," Koro-Sensei chirped. "It's been a hard day on everyone."

"I guess, but from the looks of things, it's been the hardest on _you_."

Koro-Sensei was taken aback. "Think so? I'm not the one with all the extra homework, and I'm not cleaning up the entire school."

"Well," Irina began. "That brat not only ruined the entire class because of his pathetic plan, but then he had the audacity to just give up entirely and leave the classroom as soon as he could. Good riddance if you ask me. A student who doesn't bring his best in an attempt to kill you isn't worth keeping in here."

"…" Koro-Sensei looked down at the ground. _So Urameshi did give up and leave… Is he running away from me for when I destroy the world?_ The idea didn't set well with him. _Wait… why is the floor polished everywhere BUT where I'm standing?_

Irina took another step closer to Koro-Sensei. "Even worse, he made the room so hot. You must want to take that coat off… Let me help you with that."

Flustered, Koro-Sensei stuttered, "E-Er, that's All right! The heat isn't s-so bad anymore!"

Irina wrapped her arms around Koro-Sensei, and he found himself not exactly staring at her face as she looked up at him. "Let me get that for you…" Koro-Sensei could feel butterflies in his… stomach? Just being near Irina made his heart pound with excitement, but with her this close it was unbearable. Just as Irina's hands interlocked, a strange SCHTINK sound echoed throughout the room, like something sticky just latched onto itself.

…Oh no.

"Well done, Tentacles," Irina said in a rash voice that was decidedly un-Irina-like. "Koro-Sensei's Weakness #5: Boobs." Her frame melted like a liquid dissolving in another, revealing Yusuke standing in front of Koro-Sensei, a devilish, borderline evil smile on his face. "Ready for round two?"

* * *

Yusuke took a step back to survey his work. Koro-Sensei struggled, but he couldn't do more than wiggle. "W-What did you tie me up with?! I can't see anything!"

Yusuke laughed. "I had a friend of mine use the tentacle skin you shed during your battle with Hiei to make you a present. A present from an old friend of mine that only showed what they wanted others to see. When you mentioned that you make your own slime, I figured it was the same slime that allowed you to make your body adhesive enough to pick up objects. Koro-Sensei's Abilities #3: Can make his tentacles sticky and adhesive to pick up things. And Koro-Sensei's Abilities #8: Can shed his skin, which is both incredibly sticky and nearly impossible to penetrate. Adhesive materials tend to stick to themselves, so my friend made a straightjacket out of your own body, and I knew it would stick to you like glue!" Chuckling, Yusuke added, "With this straightjacket on, you can't move at mach-20."

"B-B-But how did you imitate Ms. Irina-"

"A seed from Kurama," Yusuke replied, picking his nails. "Simple. I even knew how it worked because I tried it out on someone earlier this week." _Not that Kuwabara is doing the best of jobs with the seed._

"But what about that air conditioning prank?! What was the point?"

"Heh, to be honest, I'm more proud of that part than any other." Yusuke rubbed the bottom of his nose as he explained, "It was a distraction. I did it to get you to believe it was my legitimate assassination attempt, so I made it _just_ good enough to fool you. So when I pretended to be Ms. Bitch and I said that I left the building and gave up, there was no way you wouldn't believe me! Then you'd lower your guard for my ploy to put on the straightjacket."

"Grrrnnnngh…" Koro-Sensei shook his head. "I'm impressed. But even if my tentacles are tied up, and I can't fly out of here at mach-20, I can still slide out of the room using my slime."

"Try it."

Koro-Sensei began to slither out of the room, but almost immediately smoke rose up from his tentacles, and blood dripped out slowly. Koro-Sensei gasped. "The floor…!"

"The air conditioning ploy wasn't _just_ a distraction." Yusuke got in Koro-Sensei's face and wagged his finger, knowing he couldn't do anything. "Did you think I set off the fire alarms by accident? I wanted an excuse to scrub the floor and the walls! When I did, I used a liquidated version of the B.B.'s you're weak to. You can thank Okuda for making it. And now, the entire building is lined with this liquid, and all the cloths that you could use to wipe it up are outside on the clothesline, where you'll never reach them."

Koro-Sensei's eyes widened. "T-That's… absurd. You're lying!"

"…Do you really want to try and see? How many times will your tentacles have to be burnt before they fall off, I wonder…?"

"Nnnnngh…"

Yusuke took several steps back as he said, "I made the bet with you not because I was certain I _could_ win, but because I wanted to pressure myself into winning. When I'm backed into a corner, I become more powerful than anyone. I backed myself into the ultimate corner, and now, I came up with the ultimate plan.

"I'm a true student of Class E now. I've been ridiculed by them, worked with them, suffered with them, and laughed alongside them. I'm an assassin with tons of experience under my belt from fighting countless other demons and reading up on every strength and weakness you have. And I sorted out my feelings at the beginning of this week, when I pressured myself into fighting you by making that bet. All the reasons my friends failed, I've overcome. And now I stand before you, more eager to win than I ever have been in my life." Yusuke took on a Rei-Gun stance. "Now I just need to seal the deal!" Yusuke screamed, "Class E! It's time to say sayonara to Koro-Sensei!" All the students, Hiei, and Kurama stood up from hiding behind desks and pointed guns at Koro-Sensei. Even Karasuma and Irina were present, wanting to witness Koro-Sensei's end at the hands of his students.

Koro-Sensei backed up slightly. "How did you all hide from me like that?!"

Yusuke explained, "Koro-Sensei's Abilities #5: Has an incredible sense of smell. But with the smell of the bleach overpowering everything, even with your nose, you'd never have smelled them!"

"Now die!" Yusuke shrieked as he let out all his power, **"REI-GUNNNN!"**

Time slowed down to a crawl. The Rei-Gun blasted into Koro-Sensei, causing him to double over. _Koro-Sensei's Abilities #6: His head solidifies when pressure is applied, allowing him to survive mach-20._ Yusuke watched the Rei-Gun annihilate the walls, but in his mind, everything was silent. _That ability which lets you move at your precious mach-20 will be the end of you!_

The other students converged their shots on Koro-Sensei, causing him to cough up blood onto the floor. _You can't move when you're solid! When you fly at mach-20, you just use your tentacles propel you through the air! But you can't move now with your tentacles solidified!_

"AGAIN!"

Yusuke fired off another Rei-Gun, pinning Koro-Sensei into what was left of the classroom wall. Since they'd scrubbed the walls earlier, steam shot from his body. Blood poured out at an alarming late, soaking the floors as the students unloaded their guns on him once more. _My Rei-Gun is more powerful than ever with six months' worth of raw power stored inside me! You're so solid now, you won't even be able to move as we make you into our personal punching bag!_

The classroom almost torn away from the immense force of Yusuke's Rei-Guns, Yusuke fired off a Rei-Shotgun at Koro-Sensei, his heart pounding louder and faster than ever. _All that's left is to watch as we claim our victory over you, Koro-Sensei!_ Everything faded to white as the light of the Rei-Shotgun shined in everyone's eyes…


	10. Episode 10: Victory?

Episode Ten: Victory?

Yusuke stood at the bottom of the steps to Class E. It might be the last time he'd ever see it, so he took in the sight, committing it to memory. Standing next to him was Hiei, Kurama, Nagisa, and Karma. "…A week did pass, didn't it? Time flies when you've got a deadline…"

"Yeah…" Nagisa seemed sad. "I guess we won't be seeing you again."

Yusuke smirked and gave a thumbs up. "Heh, you never know, do you? We may meet again, and hell, it might even be soon!" Holding out his hand, Yusuke added, "But until then…"

"…Yeah." Nagisa and Yusuke shook hands, for the first time acknowledging their strange bond. Rivals in assassination? Comrades in arms? Friends? Who knows? "…I'll see you then, Yusuke."

Hiei scoffed. "What's the point in saying tearful goodbyes? That would imply that we enjoyed our time here. It was just something to do."

Yusuke let go of Nagisa's hand and laughed. "Oh, don't be such a hardass."

"…" Hiei glowered at Yusuke.

Reluctantly, Karma took a step towards Kurama. "…I'm sorry that most of the time I spent with you guys was wasted doubting you or trying to attack you. You truly are professionals, and I was an idiot to only realize that a few days ago."

Kurama laughed. "We invaded your territory to begin with. Of course there would be some hard feelings; it's understandable. But…" Kurama smiled. "…Thanks."

Yusuke started to walk away, but he looked over his shoulder and asked in a strangely quiet voice, "Hey… You guys have no regrets, right?" Nagisa and Karma shook their heads. "…That's good to hear." Turning away, Yusuke said, "Tell Karasuma and Ms. Bitch thanks for having me. And tell the other students… I'm sorry." Despite the sounds of protest, Yusuke walked on, ignoring them completely. As they trekked through the paved path filled with leaves that crunched beneath their feet, Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei didn't speak a word to each other. They were all thinking the same thing.

"…You're leaving already?"

A loud noise filled the air, almost as if the air itself was being bent. With a strange sticky sound, the air stopped howling. Yusuke turned to see someone that deep down, he knew he'd see again today. "…Koro-Sensei."

Koro-Sensei was bandaged all across his tentacles, and even a few around his head. "Hello, Urameshi. Causing mischief from start to end. Showing up so unexpectedly, leaving without saying goodbye…"

Yusuke smiled. "Heh, it's my nature. I'm not one to say lengthy goodbyes."

"…I suppose you wouldn't be."

Hiei shook his head. "Honestly, how the hell did you survive that barrage? I saw you take every bullet because you were solidified by Yusuke's Rei-Gun. There's no way you could have just ran out of the building either with all the walls lined with the anti-Koro-Sensei material."

"Nururufufufu… Urameshi did an amazing job. The best job I'd ever seen. I would have been honored to die by it! But I need to live to teach my students until the very end of the year, so I couldn't let myself fall today. When everyone talked about how amazing your plan would be, I became rather anxious. I hid a special concoction right behind my tie so all I'd have to do to drink it was bend my head forward a little. It's the same liquid that Okuda made that turned me into a puddle long ago, if you heard the students mention it. I used it to slide under the floorboards and make my escape. Though since the floorboards were doused in that special liquid of yours, my tentacles were singed so much that they're still throbbing…"

Kurama laughed. "Yusuke was quite a sight when he noticed you escaped. He leapt out of the building after you and shot off so many Rei-Shotguns that the entire grounds were destroyed."

Koro-Sensei shook his head. "Well, since I was a liquid, and made out of a different material, his straightjacket no longer stuck to me. Once I was outside, I solidified and just moved at mach-20 to dodge his barrage."

Hiei smirked. "But the last thing you expected was for Yusuke to burn so much spirit energy that he made himself able to move and jump at mach-20 too."

"That… was unexpected, yes. But Urameshi hadn't been trained to use a knife, so even at a speed equal to mine, he was ultimately unable to do more than scratch me a few times, none of them deadly."

Yusuke shrugged and waved a hand in dismissal. "What's the point in looking back? I lost, I lost. I brought my best, and you brought yours. I just wasn't up to the task. But I have one thing I'd like to ask before you destroy the world…" Hiei and Kurama tensed up. None of the three really thought the end of the world would come, but with it so close…

Koro-Sensei tilted his head. "With how hard you worked today, I believe you DO deserve a reward. Let's hear it."

"You want someone to kill you, don't you? After all, you came to this class not only to teach, but to grant the world a chance at killing you." Yusuke shook his head. "You claim you want to destroy the world, but in reality, you love this world more than anyone. Because of that, I figure you were once human. After the suffering you went through to become this monster, you wanted proof, confirmation, that there are still enough good people in the world to make it worth sparing from destruction. You want to experience that proof through death by someone who loves the world _so much_ that they'd train themselves to defeat the most powerful opponent imaginable… you." Yusuke looked into Koro-Sensei's emotionless, dark, beady eyes as he asked, "…I'm right, aren't I?"

After a long pause, Koro-Sensei lowered his head, a far off look in his eyes. "…I… I'll leave that to your imagination, Urameshi. All I can say is… well done."

Yusuke nodded. "Well, the world tried it's hardest to kill you, and no one could. You have every right to blow it away. You never got the proof you wanted, after all." Turning away, Yusuke asked, "But I have one last selfish request. Can you give me three more hours? I'd like to spend my last moments with all my friends."

"Do you plan on evacuating them somehow?"

"No," Yusuke said flatly. "I want to be with them." He chuckled then opened his arms to the side. "I'll throw a huge party! And when they ask why, I'll just say…" He lowered his arms and his voice dropped to a whisper. "…'I wanted to see you all smiling in the end.'"

Kurama took a step forward. "Yusuke…"

Koro-Sensei turned away and looked up at the puffy clouds overhead. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, "…I'll give you more than three hours." Yusuke looked up, surprised. "…I'll give you six months."

Yusuke's eyes widened. "But that would mean-"

"Yes. Your bet is null and void." Koro-Sensei turned to Yusuke with a smile on his face. "I will destroy the world at the end of the school year, just as I promised."

Yusuke frowned. "But what made you change your mind?!"

Koro-Sensei walked up to Yusuke and looked down at him. "…When you said you'd throw a party with your friends just to see their smiles, I remembered one of the most important reasons I wanted to wait a year before I destroyed the world. I want to see my students graduate, huge smiles on their faces, knowing that even though they couldn't kill me, they became the most successful class this school will ever see. In that moment, with everyone smiling, I will destroy the world."

After a long pause, Yusuke smirked. "Heh, we'll just see about that! I won't let you destroy the world!"

"You're coming back?"

"Hell yeah! And believe me, when I come back, my new plan will be so great that you'll be begging for mercy! No more bullshit like last time!"

Koro-Sensei reached out a bandaged tentacle, his face lined with green and yellow stripes. Yet somehow, those green and yellow stripes didn't seem as mocking as they used to be. "I'll look forward to that day, Urameshi. The day I overcome another ultimate assassination plan."

Yusuke shook Koro-Sensei's tentacle with a smile. _Two opponents, declaring a challenge before their departure instead of a goodbye… this is the way it should be._ "You'd better pray that when that day comes, you're ready to be die."

Shaking his head, Hiei stepped forward. "It never ends, does it? We'll just have to keep coming back to give you more and more."

Kurama took a step forward as well. "No dirty tricks, just two parties fighting each other with everything they have."

"…I like the sound of that." Koro-Sensei held out two other bandaged tentacles, and Kurama and Hiei shook them.

Turning away to leave, Yusuke called, "Sayonara, Tentacles. We'll surely meet again." Koro-Sensei watched the trio leave silently.

Just as they were out of earshot, Kurama asked Yusuke, "Did you really mean what you said? ...How you would want to spend your last moments partying with everyone?"

"I meant every word."

"…I see." Kurama lowered his head. His bangs were covering his face, but Yusuke had a feeling he was smiling.

Hiei piped up, "What of that satisfaction you wanted so desperately?"

Yusuke looked up at the sky. "Oh, that? …I'm over it now. Sometimes the best satisfaction is being able to fight with all your strength, and at the end, saying, 'Let's meet again.'"

Shaking his head, Hiei smiled. "Heh, you're just sour because you lost."

"If you say so." An inexplicable excitement building, Yusuke ran ahead of Hiei and Kurama and he shouted, "Last one to the train station pays for the tickets!" Kurama and Hiei ran after him, laughing and cursing.

* * *

Koro-Sensei watched them leave, content and happy despite the aching pain all over his body. If someone asked him why he was happy, well, he'd have a hard time putting it into words. How do you describe the amount of pride swelling through him? Pride that he was able to teach one of the most formidable assassins he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing…

Karasuma walked up to beside him. "Did you tell him that if you didn't drink that concoction you'd be dead?"

"…No. I think he already figured that out."

"I see." Lowering his head, Karasuma said after a pause, "If only I got to train him on how to use a knife… He could have killed you when he was moving at mach-20…" Karasuma clenched his fists. "That troublesome Urameshi got to be your student, but not mine, all because of that absurd goose chase you had me do…!"

It didn't occur to Koro-Sensei that Karasuma wanted to teach the new students that badly. In fact, he figured Karasuma wanted time off, so he let Yusuke determine their gym activity on the only day he would have been able to teach. "I'm sorry."

"…Heh." Karasuma lifted his head and turned around, walking back up to the Class E building. "That just means when he comes back, he'll definitely win."

Koro-Sensei looked over his shoulder. "Who told you he was coming back someday?"

"…It's just a feeling I have."

* * *

Yusuke entered Genkai's shrine unannounced. "Yo! Grandma, I'm here! Where's the party?"

Genkai, Botan, Keiko, and Kuwabara were all in the foyer enjoying tea. For some reason, Keiko gasped and pointed at Yusuke in shock, Yukina gave him a puzzled look and furrowed her brow in confusion, Genkai just shook her head, and Botan snapped her fingers. "That explains it!"

Throwing his bag into the side of the room as Kurama and Hiei entered, Yusuke asked, "Explains what?"

"How you could do both the Koro-Sensei assignment and find Koenma-sama's PJ's."

Yusuke blinked. He turned to Kuwabara… who was still disguised as him. Kuwabara lowered his head and shook it slowly, as if to say, "We got caught, man _._ "

"…SHIT!" Yusuke cried.

Standing up, Keiko demanded, "Yusuke, what's going on?! Why are there two of you?"

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head. Kurama, Hiei, and Botan left the room with haste, not wanting to get caught up in the ensuing chaos. "Um… I can prove I'm the real one! I know your measurements, and he doesn't!"

Kuwabara stood up, infuriated. "How dare you find out a woman's measurements, and then throw the fact you know them around like it's something to proud of?! A real man wouldn't stoop that low, Urameshi!"

Furrowing her brow, Keiko stared at Kuwabara. "That manner of speaking…" Puffing out her cheeks, Keiko growled, "Are you telling me the one who spent all the time at Genkai-san's place with me and said all those nice things… Was KUWABARA-KUN?!"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "No. I showed up for five minutes. I got to kiss you! So don't worry; you didn't kiss Kuwabara. That'd be disgusting."

Keiko lowered her head, her bangs covering her face. "Not as disgusting… As running out on me again!" She smacked Yusuke and yelled, "YUSUKE, YOU IDIOT!"

Yusuke's face exploded with an immeasurable amount of pain. Taking several steps back from the shock, Yusuke thought to himself, _That's the slap I worked so hard to avoid this past week…_ Rubbing his sore cheek, Yusuke looked up at Keiko's face, which was red with anger. _But if getting slapped is the price I have to pay to spend time with Keiko when I thought we'd only have a few hours left…_ Yusuke smiled. _Then maybe it isn't so bad after all._

"W-What are you smiling for?"

"…I was just thinking how good it is to be home."

Soon, everyone was gathered around the foyer with fresh tea made, swapping stories about their adventures this past week. "Eh," Yusuke grunted. "You mean Kuwabara would have learned a new technique if he succeeded in fooling everyone?!"

Genkai set down her tea. "Well, that's irrelevant _now._ Everyone found out, didn't they?"

Kuwabara, who had returned to his normal form by now, stood up, angry. "Hey! That was Urameshi's fault!"

"Oh please. If this charade went on any longer, you'd have done something stupid and ruined it anyway." Genkai shook her head. "But if you used your brain, you would have realized that there was no secret technique to begin with! I just wanted you to try your hardest at convincing everyone that you were Yusuke because I would be the one who would have to pick up the pieces if you failed."

"W-WHAT?!"

Yusuke burst out laughing. "So in the end, he really did get nothing out of all this! Ha!"

Kuwabara lowered his head. "…Spending time with Yukina-san was good enough for me anyway…"

"What? Did you say something?"

"…No. So what happened with that octopus?"

After Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei shared the entire story about Koro-Sensei, Keiko shook her head. "You know," she said, still a little angry. "If you just TOLD me that you had to leave to fight a demon, I would have been okay with it."

Protesting, Yusuke pointed at Keiko. "But last time I went off to fight demons and I told you about it, you dumped me!"

Red it the face, Keiko yelled, "There's a huge difference between three years and one week!"

Kurama smiled and laughed. "Keiko-chan, don't worry. Yusuke was thinking about you while he was gone, and I could tell he missed you."

A little hurt, Keiko replied as she sipped tea, "You're just trying to cover for him."

Kurama shook his head. "No. In fact, when he had to fill out an assignment about what he wanted to be in the future, he put-"

"AHHHH! No, shut up!" Yusuke put his hand over Kurama's mouth and wrapped his arm around his neck in a wrestling hold. "I put that I wanted to be king of the Demon Realm!"

Hiei looked away as he said, "Every king needs a queen."

"SHUT UP!"

Yusuke let go of Kurama and sat back down, sulking. "Hrmph…" Without looking Keiko in the eye, Yusuke mumbled, "I put I wanted to be your husband, but it didn't mean anything. I just wrote what entered my head first to get the damn sheet done. So don't you dare start thinking anything weird!"

Keiko blushed furiously and stared down at her tea cup. "I… see…"

Shaking her head, Genkai set her tea cup down. "I still can't believe you lost. You even went so far as to humble yourself to ask for help."

"…I'll ignore that jab."

Kuwabara rubbed his chin. "Yeah, Urameshi. I wouldn't even know the first thing about killing such a fast target!"

Smirking, Hiei interjected, "That's because you're too slow in the head. Just thinking is above you, so how could you expect to hatch a plan that would even manage to give Koro-Sensei a paper cut?"

Shrieking, Kuwabara stood up. "What'd you say?!"

Botan ignored them as tapped her tea cup and tilted her head. "I just can't believe that you were so close to getting ten billion yen! What would you have done with your shares?"

A little sour, Yusuke lowered his head. "Just when I forgot…"

Kurama leaned back. "Good question… I would probably-"

Kuwabara stood up and declared, completely forgetting about his argument with Hiei, "I'd spend every cent on making Yukina-san as happy as can be! Just seeing her smile is worth far more than ten billion yen!"

Yukina blushed. "K-Kazuma-san! You shouldn't spend your money so frivolously, especially not on me!"

Grasping her hands in his, Kuwabara vowed, "But every time I see you smile, I'm happier than any man alive."

Yukina frowned. "But isn't that because of puberty?" Gasping, Yukina put her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't supposed to speak of it!" Bowing, Yukina begged, "Please forgive me!"

Everyone burst out laughing at Yukina's words. Kuwabara stared at Yukina in confusion. "Huh? Oh, er… you're forgiven…?"

Shaking her head, Genkai muttered, "I'm going to have to explain that prank to her, aren't I…?" She gave an accusing glance at Yusuke.

Yusuke turned to Hiei, conveniently changing the subject. "Hey, Hiei. What would you have spent your share on?"

Scoffing, Hiei looked up. "I have no use for money. It'd just be useless, annoying baggage, so I'd force it on to someone else and let them deal with it."

"You mean you'd give it to Yukina."

Kurama nodded. "He'd give it to Yukina."

"…I'm gonna kill you." Yusuke and Kurama laughed, which only infuriated Hiei more.

"Ah… Hmmm… How about Genkai Ba-san…?" Yusuke snorted. "She'd probably blow it off on antique tea sets so she can sit in her shrine and drink tea from it all day. Every time I come over, that's all she seems to be doing." Genkai's eye twitched, but she said nothing.

Kurama scratched his chin. "But I believe she was interested in video games, wasn't she? Perhaps she'd buy more for herself." Genkai lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Ah ha! She'd play video games and sip tea all the while! Then her life would be complete!"

Slamming her teacup down, Genkai yelled, "You boneheads! I wouldn't even accept the money to begin with!"

Botan smiled and clapped her hands. "Well, for _my_ share, I'd-"

"You don't get any."

"What-HEY!"

Yusuke laughed. The conversation continued, each of them teasing and annoying each other as they spoke of how they would have spent their 10 billion yen. Watching everyone exchange their cheerful banter made a strange feeling stir inside Yusuke. The feeling impossible to ignore anymore, Yusuke stood up. "Sorry, but I'm stepping outside for a moment. I'll be back soon." Before anyone could protest, Yusuke stepped outside onto the porch. Everyone had spent so much time talking that they didn't notice it was already nighttime. The stars were out, and the night air was crisp, a nice change of pace from how hot it was earlier. Letting out a huge sigh, Yusuke leaned against the wall behind him.

Keiko stepped outside, too. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"…Yeah." Looking up at the stars, only now did it set in that if Koro-Sensei hadn't cancelled their bet, Yusuke wouldn't be standing here. Genkai's shrine would be destroyed, all of his friends would be dead, and they'd never be able to enjoy a simple get together like this again. He'd never get to laugh at Kuwabara flirting with Yukina again, he'd never get scolded by Genkai again, he'd never get any new bizarre assignments from Koenma again, he'd never get to see a new crazy plant Kurama made again, he'd never sigh as Kuwabara and Hiei argued over stupid things again… Because they'd all be dead. And everything he ever cared about would be gone with them. He finally realized just how selfish his bet had been. Kurama had been completely justified in his hostility towards Yusuke. Lowering his head, Yusuke said quietly, "I almost lost you today."

"Eh?" Keiko turned to look at Yusuke. "What… do you mean?"

"…I made a bet. A bet that I could kill Koro-Sensei in one week. If I failed, I told him that he could destroy the world immediately instead of waiting until the end of the school year like he had wanted…" Turning to Keiko, Yusuke added sadly, "But only now is the weight of what I said actually sinking in. If you died because of me…" Yusuke lowered his head. Clenching his fists, Yusuke choked, "If you died because of my stupid bet…!"

After a pause, Keiko walked up to Yusuke, her hands behind her back. "…Even at the beginning of this week, if you told me about your bet, I wouldn't have been afraid at all. Because no matter how many times you lose or how many mistakes you may make…You'll always be a winner to me, Yusuke."

Yusuke stared at Keiko, shocked. "K-Keiko…" She smiled at him shyly. Slowly, Yusuke smiled too. "Heh… Even now, that stupid job class assignment…" He turned away and looked up at the stars. "…That same dream is still the first one to come to my mind…"

"Eh? Did you say something?"

"…Nah, nothing. Let's go back inside before they start spreading any lewd rumors about what we're doing out here." As Keiko re-entered the shrine, Yusuke looked over his shoulders at the starlit sky. It seemed like something incomprehensibly fast was zooming past the stars, off to who knows where. Making a finger gun, Yusuke pointed at the object and said, "…Thank you, man." Somehow, Yusuke had the feeling that in a year from now, he'd still be able to relax with everyone here at the shrine again. Turning his back to the object, Yusuke headed into the shrine, a smile on his face, and satisfaction in his heart.

Because no matter what happened, he was a winner.

 _…_ _Sometimes the best satisfaction is being able to fight with all your strength…_

 _…_ _and at the end, saying, 'Let's meet again.'_

~End

* * *

It's been a wild ride, but now the story has come to a close. Thank you for following it until the end. As I had stated in the first chapter, writing FanFiction is not something I necessarily plan on doing again. However, every time I got a review or a new follower, I found myself really happy. Far happier than I expected to be. The experience, while short, was rewarding for me, and I hope the same is true for you. The positive reception I received for this story inspired me to think of a few ideas for one-shots related to this story (a prequel with Koenma and Jorge or maybe even a one-shot with Kuwabara trying to kill Koro-Sensei without the rest of the gang knowing), but I do not know if I'll ever get around to writing them. If you would be interested in reading and supporting them and say so in a review to this chapter (and others express interest as well), then I am far more likely to write them. I also have a few scattered ideas for stories from other franchises, and, again, if anyone expresses interest in reading them in the future I might write a few.

I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it. And if you liked it even half as much as you do the original franchises, then as an author, I couldn't ask for more. ~End


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